Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday defended his Government's stance on China's human rights record against claims that Labour had watered down Britain's policy.
Mr Blair was challenged in the House of Commons by Conservative leader William Hague shortly after a meeting between Foreign Secretary Robin Cook and leading mainland human rights activist Wei Jingsheng.
Britain has decided, along with its European Union partners, not to support any resolution on China at next month's annual meeting of the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva, which Mr Wei plans to attend.
In the Commons, Mr Hague said it was the first time in nine years Britain had not supported such a resolution, and accused the Government of reneging on its commitment to put human rights at the centre of its 'ethical' foreign policy.
But Mr Blair insisted: 'Not merely have we raised human rights issues in respect of China continually, we have also, as President of the EU, been getting support from other European countries in order to make the very issues that are at the heart of Mr Wei's case clear to the Chinese Government. But we did not feel that this UN resolution was the right way to proceed.' Mr Hague told the Commons Mr Wei found the Government's position 'quite stupefying'.
