UK should suspend failed Human Rights Dialogue with China |
UK should suspend failed Human Rights Dialogue with China
12 January 2010
Free Tibet is calling on the UK government to suspend the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue (1).
Free Tibet Director Stephanie Brigden said:
“In fourteen years the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue has failed to deliver results and has become a cosmetic, box-ticking exercise aimed at deflecting criticism. The existence of the dialogue, however ineffectual, allows both governments to say they address human rights concerns, but the process fails the acid test – it achieves no concrete improvements in human rights for people in Tibet and China. This conclusion is echoed by the Foreign Affairs Select Committee which said in its most recent Annual Report that “there is little evidence that the British Government’s policy of constructive dialogue with China has led to any significant improvements in the human rights situation(2).”
It is time for the British government to take a much stronger and more consistent stance on human rights abuses in Tibet and China. Suspension of the Dialogue until China demonstrates that it takes the process seriously (3) would send a strong message to the Chinese regime that Britain means business when it comes to human rights. Thus far, the coalition government is doing a great job of strengthening our relationship with China, but it has completely failed to stand firm on human rights with China despite its manifesto commitment.”(4)
China’s super trade mission led by Vice Premier Li Keqiang, that left Britain on Wednesday 12 January, has brought into sharp relief our government’s decision to sacrifice human rights principles on the altar of trade with China despite the wishes of the British public (5): while the trade negotiations have been conducted by senior politicians on both sides with much fanfare, human rights have been sidelined to a low-profile, fundamentally flawed process. This betrays both the British public and the people who are repressed by the Chinese regime.
David Cameron used the existence of the Dialogue to excuse his silence on human rights when he was in China two months ago; no doubt its existence will be paraded again in response to any criticism on the lack of public expressions of concern by the UK government over China’s human rights record during this most recent Chinese visit to the UK.
Ends
Notes to Editor
Free Tibet is an international campaigning organisation that stands for the right of Tibetans to determine their own future. We campaign for an end to the Chinese occupation of Tibet and for the fundamental human rights of Tibetans to be respected.
1.) The next round of the UK China Human Rights Dialogue is taking place from 13-15 January.
2.) The Foreign Affairs Select Committee 2009 Annual Review
3.) China has shown disdain for the process on numerous occasions, for example, postponing it in order to show displeasure at the British government’s response to the execution of Briton Akmal Shaikh in 2009, failing to respond to a single one of the individual cases raised by the UK delegation at the last dialogue in spring 2010.
4.) The coalition government’s manifesto committed to “seek[ing] a closer engagement with China, while standing firm on human rights”.
5.) ICM Research interviewed a random sample of 1,000 adults aged 18+ by telephone from 29 October – 1 November 2010. Interviews were conducted across the country and the results have been weighted to the profile of all adults. ICM is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.
Please cite Free Tibet if you use information from this poll.
Q1. For you, is protecting human rights in Tibet more important, less important or equally as important as maintaining good trade relations with China?
More important: 36%
Equally as important: 38%
Less important: 13%
Neither are important: 2%
Don’t know: 12%
For further information and interviews please contact Free Tibet’s Director Stephanie Brigden
T: +44 (0)20 7324 4605
M: +44 (0)7971 479515