Human rights in Hong Kong, Xinjiang raised in China-EU meeting

European Union foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell confirms discussion with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Madrid

Wang responds with call for Europe not to interfere in China’s domestic affairs

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EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at Asem, the 14th Asia-Europe Meeting, in Madrid on December 15. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 10:36am, 17 Dec 2019Updated: 10:25pm, 17 Dec 2019

The European Union’s new foreign policy chief wasted no time in raising a human rights discussion about Hong Kong and Xinjiang with his Chinese counterpart, to Beijing’s dismay.

Josep Borrell said human rights was “a universal issue” and confirmed he had brought up Hong Kong, which has been embroiled in six months of anti-government protests, and Xinjiang, where an estimated 1 million Uygurs are detained, at the meeting in Madrid on Sunday.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi hit back, calling on Europe not to interfere in China’s domestic affairs.

Borrell, previously Spain’s foreign minister, said he had “extraordinarily good relations” with Wang since meeting him in New York 1½ years ago.

“We have been talking about the subjects you are referring to and we will continue doing it in the best approach in order to express the big concerns we Europeans have regarding human rights all over the world,” Borrell said.

“It is clear that when you deal with this kind of thing you are entering in to domestic issues. But human rights is not a domestic issue. Human rights is a universal issue.”

In response, Wang said China had made significant achievements in human rights, pointing in particular to the country’s tremendous effort to alleviate poverty.