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Clouds over Tibet

June 3, 2009 ・ Vincent MettenOpinion

China is reluctant to find solutions to difficult problems.

This opinion piece was written by ICT’s EU Policy Director Vincent Metten and published by Politico on 3 June 2009.

Writing in European Voice (‘Making China and the EU better partners’, 28 May-3 June), China’s ambassador to the EU, Song Zhe, said of Sino-European relations that “China is convinced that, if we examine issues in a historical context, dynamically, with a global vision and open minds, the clouds will disperse”.

Bravo! Ambassador Song has skilfully employed the kind of platitude that European diplomats relish.

Unfortunately, his statement also signals China’s reluctance to seek real solutions to difficult issues, such as Tibet.

Similarly, even a cursory reading of the final joint statement – where the traditional commitment to the protection and promotion of human rights is nowhere to be found – makes clear that the EU lacks a cohesive policy regarding China’s continued abuse of the Tibetan people.

Certainly, issues such as climate change and the global financial crisis demand that all stakeholders co-operate. However, co-operation on these issues produces the expectation of co-operation on others.

Skilled leaders can navigate more than one difficult issue at a time. That should be the case in the EU’s relations with China. As a European, I refuse to believe that standing up for human rights in China and Tibet risks damning the planet or the European economy.

I do believe, however, that if we yield to Chinese pressure, no matter how poetically conveyed, we risk our credibility in the UN Human Rights Council and as advocates for the fair treatment of prisoners of conscience the world over. We become a lesser, ignoble society.

Ambassador Song wrote that both China and the EU “seek to defuse crises through negotiations”. Another platitude. After 50 years, it is time for an action plan and a resolution of the Tibet issue. Europe, which also has a stake in a peaceful and stable China, should get its head out of the clouds and help make that happen.

(Source: Politico)

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