Francisco Guerreiro questions Commission on Chinese labor camps in Tibet

See below and here the question submitted by several MEPs - including Francisco Guerreiro (Greens/EFA) - to the European Commission (EC) on Chinese labor camps in Tibet.

Subject: Chinese labor camps in Tibet

The internment camps in the Xinjiang region have deservedly attracted a great deal of attention from the EU, and Parliament has in the past called for sanctions to be imposed for this flagrant violation of human rights. Let's not forget that similar atrocities are being committed against the people of Tibet.

According to a report by the Jamestown Foundation, more than 500,000 Tibetans have been transported to these labor camps to learn “work discipline, Chinese language and ethics”. This situation reveals an unacceptable disregard for human rights and the religious, political, but also personal freedom of Tibetans. In this context:

1. is the Commission preparing a sanctions regime or taking any other concrete measures against those responsible for the labor camps in Tibet, including Chen Quanguo - the person in charge of these camps?

2. Will the Commission take the issue of these Tibetan labor camps into consideration when it holds cooperation talks with China?

3. In the light of the Commission President's public statement at the last EU-China summit that fundamental human rights are non-negotiable, how will these camps and other human rights violations in Tibet be addressed at the next EU-China human rights dialogue and summit?

EC reply

The EU has clearly expressed its position on Tibet on several occasions, in multilateral fora and public debates(1), as well as bilaterally with Chinese interlocutors. The situation in Tibet and Sinkkok was raised during the EU-China summit on June 22, 2020(2) and at the EU-China leaders' meetings on September 14(3) and December 30, 2020(4). In the framework of the EU-China human rights dialogue, the EU has consistently expressed its concerns regarding restrictions on freedoms of religion and belief and freedom of education in a minority language, as well as arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances of Tibetan citizens. Recent reports on the implementation of unacceptable schemes for the mass transfer of Tibetan labor raise serious concerns.

The EU is committed to ensuring respect for international human rights law and standards, including the prohibition of forced labor and child labor, and the protection of victims of human and labor rights violations. It also promotes the ratification and effective implementation of the “core” conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO), which have not yet been ratified by China.Negotiations on the EU-China Comprehensive Investment Agreement were concluded, in principle, at the end of 2020. In the EU-China Comprehensive Investment Agreement, China committed in particular to making continuous and sustained efforts to ratify the ILO conventions on forced labor (Convention No. 29 and 2014 Protocol) and on the abolition of forced labor (Convention No. 105). The EU will urge China to respect this commitment. As recently confirmed by the EU-Korea Free Trade Agreement Panel(5), the ratification commitment is binding and China must take concrete steps to achieve this.As regards the possible adoption of restrictive measures by the EU (sanctions) against individuals and entities, any such decision will have to be adopted by the Council acting unanimously.

(1) https://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/un-geneva/75884/hrc43-item-4-human-rights-situations-require-councils-attention-eu-statement_en

https://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/un-geneva/85812/hrc45-item-4-human-rights-situation-require-councils-attention-eu-statement_en(2) https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2020/____doc--china-summit-defending-eu-interests-and-values-in-a-complex-and-vital-partnership/(3) https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2020/____doc--china-leaders-meeting-upholding-eu-values-and-interests-at-the-highest-level-joint-press-release-by-president-michel-president-von-der-leyen-and-chancellor-merkel/(4) https://www.consilium.europa.eu/pt/press/press-releases/2020/12/30/eu-china-leaders-meeting-delivering-results-by-standing-firm-on-eu-interests-and-values/(5) https://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/press/index.cfm?id=2238

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