Nora Owen
Question:34 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the recent EU-China summit. [4276/00]
Written Answers. - EU-China Summit.
The most recent summit between the European Union and China was held in Beijing on 21 December 1999. The EU was represented by the Presidency, Prime Minister Lipponen and Minister of Trade Sasi of Finland, and Commission President Prodi and Commissioner Patten. The Chinese delegation was led by Prime Minister Zhu Rongji and Trade Minister Shi Guang Sheng. The EU delegation also met President Jiang Zemin.
The meeting was considered useful by both sides. The main items discussed included trade matters, the question of China's future membership of the World Trade Organisation and human rights issues.
The EU side made known their concerns about a number of human rights issues, including the treatment of dissidents, Tibet, the need for dialogue with the Dalai Lama and capital punishment. Noting that China had signed the UN human rights covenants, the EU side encouraged China to continue now with the process of ratification and to ensure full adherence to the UN covenant on religious freedom.
The EU side also availed of the opportunity to brief the Chinese side on recent developments in the Union.