HUMAN RIGHTS IN CHINA: ITALIANS EQUALLY

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 003825 SIPDIS DEPT FOR DRL/MLA, EAP/CM, EUR/ERA AND EUR/WE E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/21/2013 TAGS: PHUM IT EU UNHRC SUBJECT: HUMAN RIGHTS IN CHINA: ITALIANS EQUALLY PESSIMISTIC BUT AWAIT RESULTS OF FALL EU-CHINA DIALOGUE REF: STATE 240681 CLASSIFIED BY: ACTING POL M/C GARY ROBBINS, REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) THE ITALIAN MFA SHARED OUR PESSIMISTIC ASSESSMENT OF CHINA'S HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD THIS YEAR, HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE DIRECTOR CALVETTA TOLD US AUGUST 21 (CHINA OFFICE DIRECTOR AND STAFF ARE STILL ON VACATION). SOME OTHER EU MEMBER-STATES WERE STILL WEARING ROSE-TINTED SHADES, AND IT WAS TOO SOON TO BEGIN DISCUSSING A TOUGHER LINE ON CHINA NEXT YEAR. EU MEMBERS WOULD WANT TO SEE HOW THE UNION'S DIALOGUE WITH THE CHINESE UNFOLDED THIS FALL, ESPECIALLY DURING A TROIKA EXCHANGE IN ROME IN NOVEMBER. BEIJING WAS UNLIKELY TO DEMONSTRATE THE KIND OF QUALITATIVE IMPROVEMENT IN THE DIALOGUE, AND THE PARALLEL CONCRETE ACTIONS, TO SATISFY THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT. MOREOVER, THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT WOULD BE INCREASINGLY INCLINED TO PURSUE A TOUGHER LINE WITH BEIJING, CALVETTA OBSERVED, REFERRING TO FINANCE MINISTER TREMONTI'S RECENT PUBLIC COMMENTS CRITICIZING THE WAVE OF CHINESE EXPORTS FLOODING ITALY. ¶2. (C) COMMENT: WE WOULD BE WELL-SERVED TO PROVIDE AS MUCH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON CHINESE BACKSLIDING ON HUMAN RIGHTS TO EU MEMBER-STATES AS POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY IN ADVANCE OF THE LATE FALL EU-CHINA DIALOGUE. A RELEASABLE VERSION OF THE BACKGROUND PORTION OF REFTEL, DESCRIBING CHINA'S FAILURE TO DELIVER ON COMMITMENTS TO THE U.S. THIS YEAR, WOULD BE AN EXCELLENT PLACE TO START. BUT BELIEVES ADDITIONAL CHINESE PERFIDY DURING THIS FALL'S EU-CHINA DIALOGUE WILL BE NEEDED TO CONVINCE SOME OTHER EU MEMBER-STATES TO SUPPORT A TOUGH RESOLUTION AT NEXT YEAR'S UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION. SKODON NNNN 2003ROME03825 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL