ITALY: EU-CHINA HR DIALOGUE: POSITIVE ATMOSPHERE

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 005710 SIPDIS DEPT. FOR DRL, EUR AND EAP E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/17/2013 TAGS: PHUM PREL CH IT HUMAN RIGHTS SUBJECT: ITALY: EU-CHINA HR DIALOGUE: POSITIVE ATMOSPHERE BUT NO SUBSTANCE REF: A. STATE 325020 ¶B. ROME 05349 ¶C. BEIJING 18148 Classified By: Pol M/C T. Countryman for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: MFA officials claim the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue was a positive and cooperative exchange but, it did not provide any tangible commitments or actions from the Chinese. The Chinese underscored their willingness to work through international mechanisms to respect human rights but, their continued reliance on methods such as religious group registration and re-education camps and a lack of positive results or commitments belies their purported sincerity to improve the human rights situation. End Summary. ¶2. (C) PolOff met with Carlo Campanile, MFA Human Rights Deputy Office Director, to review the recent EU-China Human Rights Dialogue held in Beijing November 27-28. Campanile reported a positive and cooperative atmosphere, with the Chinese showing interest in and giving importance to the issues presented. Among the topics discussed were cooperation with international mechanisms, HIV/AIDS, religious freedom, reeducation camps, torture, the death penalty and Tibet. Campanile stated that the EU members came away from the dialogue with a generally positive impression and that the Chinese were cooperative but, he did not recount any substantial improvements nor provide any tangible commitments from the Chinese. A seminar with NGO participants was held separately in Venice, December 15-16 to discuss the NGO role as well as the challenges of working in China particularly due to the need for authorization and registration through the government. A public document will be prepared on the Seminar, which probably will be posted on the Ministry's EU Presidency website. ¶3. (C) Campanile claimed that the Chinese are willing to collaborate with the international community and work through international mechanisms, such as the UN, to achieve progress on human rights issues. As an example, Campanile presented the recent September visit by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education (the results of which were badly received by the Chinese as indicated in reftel C) and the possible upcoming visit of the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, for which a planning visit may be scheduled for early 2004. No dates or commitments have been made for either the planning trip or the rapporteur's visit, and the EU appears to have made little progress pinning the Chinese down on specifics. ¶4. (C) Campanile highlighted the dialogue's focus on HIV/AIDS. This was the first time this issue was discussed and Campanile stated that the Chinese admitted to the existence of the problem and the need to care for and reintegrate citizens with this disease. He stated that the Chinese are not only concerned with the disease but also with the treatment of people who are HIV positive and thus discriminated against. Although he could not provide specifics, Campanile stated that the Chinese government is providing funds and creating programs to battle HIV/AIDS and ensure fair treatment of victims. As a demonstration of these efforts the Chinese organized a delegation visit to Beijing's Ditan hospital HIV/AIDS ward. ¶5. (C) Campanile stated that religious freedom is respected in China and that the administrative registration of religious groups by the government is intended to offer protection to religious groups. In the case of Fulan Gong he stated that this group was considered a sect and thus not granted these freedoms. In fact, some members were "enrolled" in re-education camps (RTL). The Chinese presented re-education camps as a solution rather than a human rights problem. Campanile stated that the Chinese have a society in which adherence to structured norms is a requirement for participation and in which rapid change is not to be expected. Although not approving of these camps, he stated that the Chinese viewed the camps as a way of reintegrating people into the society as positive participants. Per reftel C the EU delegation visited the Daxin RTL facility which they felt was designed for show. ¶6. (C) On other issues, Campanile reported status quo discussions on the death penalty. The Chinese reported a decrease in executions even though they have no way of proving it since no statistics are maintained or, if they exist, are considered a "state secret" (reftel C). Tibet was discussed within the larger issue of minority rights. The Chinese maintained their position stating that they are willing to entertain dialogue but will not consider independence. Note: Although not mentioned during the dialogue, the Chinese were upset by the recent visit of the Dalai Lama to Rome; other contacts have told us that a "hysterical" Chinese ambassador called U/S Boniver four times one afternoon urging no official contact with the Dalai Lama. End Note. ¶7. (C) Campanile supported a continued EU-China dialogue stating that although change is slow in China, the Chinese have expressed a desire to cooperate and collaborate on HR issues and continue with the dialogue. Some EU member countries felt the dialogue was not leading to results and thus needed to be modified. ¶8. (C) Comment: Based on the lack of specifics, details and examples, as well as the overly positive tone on issues of concern (i.e. re-education camps, religious freedom),PolOff is skeptical of the read-out provided by Campanile. In fact, the vague report presented by Campanile suggests that the dialogue was not as positive as he suggests and indicates inactivity by the Chinese on dealing with the human rights situation. Post will continue to explore other GOI perspectives and solicits comment from colleagues in Brussels and Beijing. End Comment. SEMBLER NNNN 2003ROME05710 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL