BEIJING – The European Union has opened human rights talks with China, with torture, the death penalty and political prisoners on the agenda, sources close to the discussions said.
The bi-annual talks will push for more openness from Beijing. The 15-country EU — set to expand to 25 members next year — has voiced “deep concern” in the past over China’s rights record.
In a 20-page report last month, Amnesty International detailed hundreds of thousands of people detained, executions carried out after unfair trials and widespread torture and ill-treatment.
The EU has also identified Tibet, the Muslim-majority region of Xinjiang and the Falungong spiritual movement as areas of concern.
“Some of the issues on the agenda will be torture, the death penalty and the ratification of the UN covenant on political rights,” said a European diplomat familiar with the discussions.
“We have this dialogue and we both talk about issues of importance to each other. We constantly remind them that we want to see more results and more openness.”
The Tibet Information Network said EU delegates would present Beijing with a list of approximately 65 Chinese, Tibetan and Uighur political prisoners it wants information on.
“There could be some Tibetans and some political prisoners on the list,” said the diplomat.
At an EU-China summit in Beijing last month, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao defended his country’s human rights record, but said he welcomed dialogue in the field.
“Through dialogue, the EU side will understand that China is a huge country with 1.3 billion people,” he said. “To provide subsistence and development for 1.3 billion people is far from an easy job.
“Through human rights dialogue, people will know China respects the freedom of religious belief of the general public, and that it’s written into the Chinese constitution,” said Wen.
The two-day talks end Friday.
