Brussels, 11/05/2005 (Agence Europe) - During the meeting in Beijing on 11 May between the EU Troika and the Chinese foreign minister (see EUROPE 8944, p.6), the Secretary General of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) John Monks has written to the Commissioner for External Relations, Benita Ferrero-Waldner (who is a member of the Troika) to pledge his full support for “all actions that will bring China to observe fully human, trade union, and other rights adopted by the international community”. More specifically, John Monks hopes that Ms Ferrero-Waldner, one of whose objectives for the trip is to urge China to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in the first instance, “will ask them not to express any reservations, and in particular not to seek to opt-out from its article 22 which also deals with freedom of association”. Mr Monks's letter goes on to observe that “Chinese ratification and implementation of all ILO core labour standards would be an indication of that country's will fully to integrate into the international community. It would open the door to full cooperation between our labour movements and help ease the concerns of European workers about a range of economic and social issues in our relations with China”.