Greenpeace says campaign against China's nuclear testing may hit future
GREENPEACE activists admit that the campaign against China's nuclear testing could jeopardise its future work on the mainland, to be spearheaded by its new Hong Kong office.
Greenpeace East Asia is due to open its doors in Hong Kong in September and Director of Regional Campaigns and Development Anne Dingwall was unable to rule out fallout from the anti-nuclear protest affecting the new office.
'We don't know if this will have an impact. If it does we don't know what it will be,' she said.
The MV Greenpeace set sail from Manila, bound for Shanghai to protest against nuclear testing yesterday, in the wake of China's 44th test at the remote Lop Nor site. Greenpeace condemned the test - conducted amid negotiations on a global testing ban - and said that it had strengthened their resolve to sail to Shanghai.
China has refused permission for the MV Greenpeace to sail into Shanghai - although the ship will attempt to enter on Wednesday - and campaigners admit that the voyage may put at risk work planned on the mainland.
Ms Dingwall admitted Greenpeace was concerned about the impact on campaigns including ones about the toxic waste trade, green industrial technology and energy saving in China.
'But whether or not this is the reaction, and it might be, we had to go ahead,' said Ms Dingwall.
'We could not allow that to be considered when we decided to speak out vocally on China's nuclear testing programme; we have an obligation to do that.' The establishment of the new office, in a period of cutbacks for Greenpeace, is an indication of the significance attached to Asia, Ms Dingwall said.
'We have to increase our presence, influence and understanding of the region,' she said.
Greenpeace is hiring staff, including an executive director to head the new office and an investigation team to track illegal shipments of waste passing through Hong Kong.
Researchers in Europe have been investigating the toxic waste trade which Greenpeace believes involves the illegal trans-shipment of unwanted waste from North America and Europe to Asia, much of it ending up in China.
The leading campaigner aboard the MV Greenpeace, Xavier Pastor, said: 'We don't want any other work to be damaged by this, but on the other hand it would be inconsistent with our policy of the last 25 years to not try to convince the the last nuclear-testing country to stop.'
