Dharamsala, January 15 – German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle met Friday with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi, reported DPA. Talking to reporters after the meeting, Westerwelle said that he had used his talks with Yang to broach the subjects of human rights, press freedom and freedom of speech in China. “My foreign minister counterpart knows that a cornerstone of our foreign policy is standing up for human rights, for the protection of minorities, freedom of opinion, freedom of the press and freedom of religion.”
Westerwelle was expected to discuss specific cases of imprisoned dissidents in his meetings later on Friday. The wife of Liu Xiaobo, who was sentenced last month to 11 years in prison for “incitement to subvert state power,” has asked Westerwelle to bring up her husband’s case with Yang and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. “It would be very important,” she told the German press agency, dpa.
Westerwelle will meet with members of the opposition on Saturday.
Yang, however, reiterated Beijing’s position that Tibet is a part of China while indirectly warning Westerwelle not to meet with the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader whom Beijing accuses of inciting “sepratism”. Yang said the Chinese government was “absolutely against” any official visits between the Dalai Lama and international governments.
Relations between China and Germany soured after German Chancellor Angela Merkel went ahead to meet with the Dalai Lama in 2007 despite strong opposition from Beijing.
Yang and Westerwelle announced that they would be meeting twice a year to strengthen the relationship between their two countries. Yang said he would be attending the annual Munich Security Conference in February as the first Chinese foreign minister to do so.
This is Westerwelle’s first trip to Asia since becoming Germany’s foreign minister last autumn.
