China - Engaging our Friends about Human Rights

Having very recently returned from Beijing, with a group of MP's, we had the opportunity to engage the Chinese on a wide range of issues - including the issue of human rights.

This was my tenth trip to China since 1986, and there is no question that the country continues to involve - a very strong market oriented economy in the major cities, social and economic disparities in the countryside and an improving human rights situation, although primarily in respect to economic and social rights. Even here this can not be said to be universal.

We had a number of key meetings including with Lu Congmin Vice Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC). It was an opportunity to have frank and open discussions on the issue of human rights (especially since I had met him a number of times in the past), and being blunt with your friends is critical in fostering a clear understanding of the issues.

The Chinese leadership has welcomed engagement and in the case of Huseyincan Celil (which I have voiced concerns about in the past, including writing the Chinese Ambassador), it is clear that the Chinese view was that he is a Chinese citizen and even more importantly a member of a terrorist organization in East Turkistan.

Although we received assurances that he will not be tortured or executed, repeated calls for consular access have fallen on deaf ears. He is regarded as a Chinese national and therefore, Canada has no right to request access to him. Therefore, an alternative is to seek access to third part access - the International Committee of the Red Cross or Red Crescent.

This request was taken under consideration.

A central tentative of traditional Canadian foreign policy as been the security of the person and human rights. We do our friends no favours if we engage on trade and investment and yet stay silent on this critical issue of importance to Canadians. Dealing with this issue is difficult and indeed a long term challenge but it is one we must continue to raise head-on with the Chinese.

Yes China raises Falun Gong as a threat to their internal security, yet we must reply with the fact that China must live up to its international obligations which are important to achieving progress on a number of human rights issues.

Canadians are aware of restrictions in China on freedom of expression, association and spiritual beliefs. The detention and treatment of political prisoners and persecution and prosecution of human rights activities which must be continually raised. We had the opportunity to do so with the Vice Chairman of the National Peoples Congress Sheng Huaren and with He Yafei, Assistant Minister of Foreign Ministry.

Until recently the Harper Government has ignored China at best and at worst has made allegations from 1000 Chinese spies in Canada to granting honourary citizenship to the Dali Lama.

Previous Liberal Governments engaged in trade but also on human rights. I was with Prime Minister Martin in Beijing in 2005 when he raised it with President Hu Jintao.

I believe strongly in engagement. Having raised not only human rights issues in China, but also China's support for repressive regimes such as the Sudan and Zimbabwe are important to stress to them. Although they counter that the people of those countries must ultimately decide their fate, the massive Chinese investments in oil development and mineral wealth only sustain these regimes.

Supporting Russia in vetoing any action on the repressive policies of the Burmese government does not in my view enhance China's international reputation.

It is my hope that we will continue to see an improvement in the human rights situation as China institutes the legal changes necessary to ensure that it is in compliance with International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which it ratified in 2001.

Our continual engagement through parliamentary delegations, ministerial visits and grassroots capacity building projects through CIDA's civil society fund are helping to build the domestic NGO capacity necessary to pressure from within for development on the human rights front.

We must continue to raise these issues with our friends and to seek tangible results from such discussions.

The road ahead maybe long, but it is a road that we must take both with China and other states that have work to do in ensuring the dignity of the human condition.