Friday, 25 May, 2001

Foreign ministers from Europe and Asia are holding their main round of talks on forging closer political and economic ties in Beijing on Friday. It follows a series of bilateral meetings, notably between the European Union and China.

Speaking on behalf of the EU, the Swedish Foreign Minister, Anna Lindh, concentrated on human rights issues with her Chinese counterpart, Tang Jiaxuan.

Officials said Mrs Lindh had welcomed the dialogue China has had with the EU on human rights, but voiced concern over Beijing's use of the death penalty and suppression of religious freedoms, directly naming the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement.

Reports say Mr Tang defended China's execution policy, saying criminals had to be controlled and law and order maintained.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1348000/1348531.stm

Posting date: 5/28/2001
Original article date: 5/25/2001
Category: News & Media Reports

 Yearly Archive  Printer Version

_____Related Articles_____ Speech by Mr. Irwin Cotler, Member of Parliament and Renowned Human Rights Lawyer at the Celebration of the Canada Falun Dafa Festival on Parliament Hill on May 19, 2001  [5/28/2001] National Review: The Persecution Continues (Excerpt) "Life ... is a total disaster, and we are in need of help." [5/26/2001] San Francisco's Human Rights Commission Listens to Falun Gong [5/23/2001] Reuters: U.S. Congress assembles panel on China rights (excerpt)  [5/20/2001] Falun Dafa Practitioner Invited to Testify at the Congressional Human Rights Caucus [5/17/2001] International Human Rights Association in Austria Holds Press Conference [5/12/2001] Ms Zhang Xueling Sentenced to Labor Camp After Being Featured In A Prize-Winning Series on Falun Gong [5/10/2001] Austrian Media: Criticism of China Because of Torture [5/10/2001] Frankfurter Rundschau: Questions without Answers (Translation) [5/8/2001] USA Today: Bush: China's human rights policy shows 'weakness' (excerpt) [5/5/2001]