EP Plenary: Speech by High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell on the ongoing persecution of Falun Gong in China
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Madam President, Honourable Members, on behalf of High Representative/Vice-President [Josep] Borrell,
This debate clearly reflects the European Parliament’s sustained and deep concerns about human rights violations in China. Just five weeks ago, this House issued a Resolution on the forced assimilation of Tibetan children through an extensive network of boarding schools. Another one was approved in May 2022, focused on forced organ harvesting practices in China.
The European Union’s persistent and grave concerns when it comes to the human rights situation in China – the list is long: political re-education camps, mass arbitrary detentions, widespread surveillance, tracking and control measures, systemic and severe restrictions on the exercise of fundamental freedoms - including the freedom of religion or belief. And the use of forced labour, torture, forced abortion and sterilisation, birth control and family separation policies.
As we speak here today, human rights defenders, human rights lawyers, journalists, intellectuals, academics and persons belonging to ethnic and religious minorities continue to be exposed to harassment, intimidation and surveillance and subjected to exit bans, house arrest, torture and ill-treatment, unlawful detention, sentencing and enforced disappearance - and sometimes to transnational repression.
Human rights remain one of the most challenging issues in EU-China relations. The European Union continues to seize every opportunity, including multilaterally and at the highest political level, to raise its persistent concerns about the very serious human rights situation in China.
The 24th EU-China Summit, held in Beijing on 7 December 2023, was no exception: in addition to raising the European Union’s systemic human rights concerns, the President of the European Council [Charles Michel] and the President of the European Commission [Ursula von der Leyen] also raised several individual cases directly with President Xi Jinping.
Let me reaffirm what has been already stated during previous urgency debates in this Parliament: the European Union will never compromise on human rights; we will not stop voicing our concerns in public whenever necessary, and we stand by civil society and human rights defenders.
We will continue to urge China to abide by its obligations under national law, including its own constitution, and international law, to respect, protect and fulfil human rights for all.
On the broader relationship, the European Council conclusions on EU-China relations of June 2023 demonstrated unity among the European Union and Member States regarding the validity of the European Union’s multifaceted approach. China is certainly a partner, China is also a competitor, but China is also, particularly a rival.
We need to increase resilience and to pursue de-risking, while cooperating on common interests and global challenges.
Link to the video (starting at 12:27): https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-251443