European Union Fails to Question China at the UN Human Rights Council Session/ENG

2017. június 22./CTAA/TibetPress

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Dharamshala: For the first time in a decade the European Union failed to express its concern over human right violations in China, including Tibet, at the ongoing 36th session of UN Human Rights Council. EU’s proposed statement on China failed to win the necessary agreement from all the 28 EU states.

On Sunday the 11th of June, Athens refused to endorse an EU statement, irking diplomats and rights organizations, that criticized China’s human rights record. Diplomats and rights organizations said that the move undermined the EU’s position as a defender of human rights.The statement was due to be submitted to the UN human right’s council in Geneva on the 15th.

“We acted from a position of principle,” an official at the Greek foreign ministry told the Guardian. “There is an upcoming dialogue between the EU and China on human rights and we think that could be a more efficient and constructive way of delivering better results.”

Reuters reported that a Greek foreign ministry official said Athens blocked the statement, calling it “unconstructive criticism of China” and said separate EU talks with China outside the U.N. were a better avenue for discussions.

“Greece’s position is that unproductive and in many cases, selective criticism against specific countries does not facilitate the promotion of human rights in these states, nor the development of their relation with the EU,” a Greek foreign ministry spokesperson told Reuters on Sunday (18 June). The statement,which is presented three times a year, gives EU an approach in highlighting the abuses by states around the world on issues that countries are unwilling to raise.

The Wall Street Journal notes (paywall) how “Chinese cash has been vital” for Greece to maintain its economic status amid European austerity measures, and that Greece’s understanding of China has led to President Xi Jinping dubbing the country China’s “most reliable friend in the EU”. Also China’s COSCO Shipping, owner of the world’s fourth-largest container fleet, took a 51 percent stake in Greece’s largest port last year.

Nevertheless, Greece is not the only country to have blocked statements in the European Union. Hungary, another large recipient of Chinese investment, has repeatedly blocked EU statements criticizing China’s rights record under communist President Xi Jinping, diplomats said.

“The European Union’s failure to speak out against human rights violations in China and Tibet at the 36th session of Human Rights Council despite China’s ever intensifying crackdown on human rights defenders and lawyers, does pose a challenge to the credibility of the EU’s commitment to uphold and defend universal human rights. But we hope this is a temporary gaffe on their part and anticipate a firmer stance from EU in the forthcoming 37th session of UNHRC,” said Kalden Tsomo, head of EU, UN and Human Rights Desk, DIIR, CTA.