Advertisement
Advertisement
Human rights in China
Get more with myNEWS
A personalised news feed of stories that matter to you
Learn more
German Chancellor Angela Merkel talks to a student of the Jinputao school in Xinnacun village in the Baohe district of Hefei, China. Photo: AFP

Human rights being trampled on under Xi, activists tell Germany's Merkel in Beijing meeting

Risking host’s ire, German Chancellor Angela Merkel holds private meeting with nine activists after leader’s pow-wow

Daniel Moss

German Chancellor Angela Merkel met with nine human rights activists and political dissidents during her trip to China, risking the ire of her hosts even as she seeks to cement economic and trade ties with the world’s second-biggest economy.

Merkel met a group of human rights lawyers, writers and bloggers at the German Embassy in Beijing on Thursday evening, a government official said on the condition of anonymity because the meetings were private. The activists told Merkel that the human-rights situation in China had worsened since President Xi Jinping came to power in November 2012, the official said.

READ MORE: Germany’s Angela Merkel backs more favourable ‘market economy status’ for China – with certain conditions

German Chancellor Angela Merkel poses with sports students of the Jinputao school in Xinnacun village in the Baohe district of Hefei, China. Photo: AP
Merkel is on a two-day visit to China that’s focused on cementing trade ties during which she met Xi. Merkel’s decision to meet the activists contrasts to the approach taken by U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, who during a September visit to China, signalled Britain would refrain from criticism on human rights and not engage in “megaphone diplomacy.”

The U.K. is rebuilding ties with China after Prime Minister David Cameron’s 2012 meeting with the Dalai Lama triggered a diplomatic freeze. Cameron hosted Xi for a state visit this month, when he addressed the House of Commons and lodged at Buckingham Palace. He announced more than 30 billion pounds ($46 billion) of investment deals during his stay.

READ MORE: After Xi Jinping’s visit to Britain, German Chancellor Angela Merkel keen to show she ‘knows China best’

Under Xi, China has carried out a nationwide crackdown on dissent and targeted dozens of human rights activists for arrest and harassment, Amnesty International said in July. The same month China’s parliament passed a sweeping national security law vowing to “defend the people’s democratic dictatorship” and preserve “social tranquility.”

Post