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Dissident asks Swiss to push Beijing on rights

Exiled Chinese dissident Harry Wu called on Switzerland on Monday to push Beijing to include a clause on human rights in a free trade deal being negotiated by the two countries.

Published: 11 September 2012 09:11 CEST

Dissident asks Swiss to push Beijing on rights

Photo: Nina Lincoff/Medill News Service

"Switzerland is in a good economic situation. It could focus not only on merchandise but also on the people who make it," Wu, who lives in the United States, told the Swiss Press Club, according to a French translation of his comments by Swiss news agency ATS.

Switzerland and China are holding talks aimed at reaching a lucrative trade deal, but rights groups have said they suspect the agreement contains no mention of human rights.

"Switzerland should exert pressure and express its concern over working conditions, minority rights and religious freedom" in China, Wu said, insisting that although Beijing would not agree, it would, "little by little", take such opinions into account.

His call echoed a campaign by four Swiss rights groups which are demanding that Bern make human rights demands on China in exchange for completing the trade deal.

Switzerland and China have been discussing the agreement since the beginning of 2011 and it could be concluded by the end of this year.

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China derides Copenhagen democracy meet as 'political farce'

Demonstrators gathered outside the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on Tuesday. Photo: Emil Helms/Ritzau Scanpix

The Copenhagen Democracy Summit was held Monday and Tuesday in the Danish capital and organised by the Alliance of Democracies, an organisation targeted by Beijing sanctions in March and founded by former NATO boss Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

In addition to Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen and Hong Kong democracy activist Nathan Law, Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod also participated in the forum by video link, which Beijing said violated “the one-China principle.”

“This summit is a political farce,” the Chinese embassy in Denmark wrote in a statement published on Tuesday. “Inviting those who advocate Taiwan and Hong Kong ‘independence’ to the meeting violates the one-China principle and interferes in China’s internal affairs,” it said.

“Some hypocritical western politicians are good at meddling in other countries’ internal affairs and creating divisions and confrontation in the name of ‘democracy’ and ‘freedom’. They are bound to fail,” it added.

At the conference on Monday, Kofod said it was “deplorable” that Beijing had imposed sanctions on 10 European individuals and organisations in response to EU sanctions on Xinjiang officials over their actions against the Uyghur Muslim minority.

Like most countries, Denmark applies the one-China principle — under which Beijing bars other countries from having simultaneous diplomatic relations with Taipei — though it does maintain relations with Taiwan.

Cut off politically from the rest of China since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, the territory is self-governing but is not recognised by
the United Nations.

Beijing considers Taiwan a rebel province that will one day return under its control, by force if necessary.

China’s sabre-rattling has increased considerably over the past year, with fighter jets and nuclear-capable bombers breaching Taiwan’s air defence zone on a near-daily basis.

“Our government is fully aware of the threats to regional security, and is actively enhancing our national defence capabilities to protect our
democracy,” Tsai told the conference in a video address on Monday. US President Joe Biden is expected to present his China strategy soon, as
calls mount for him to publicly commit to defending Taiwan militarily in the event of a Chinese attack.

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