Macron and Merkel reiterate “grave concerns” over human rights violations in China

The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, and the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, they transferred this Monday the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, their “serious concerns”On human rights, in a three-way videoconference where questions from economy O half environment.

Relations between the EU and China have been marked by the tension of recent months, due to the situation in Hong Kong, the deterioration of human rights and cross sanctions. The links between the two blocks were a fundamental element of this telematic meeting, according to a spokesman for the German government quoted by the agency. DPA.

They also talked about the fight against climate change or international trade, on this last point to suggest that Europe is waiting access the Chinese market without barriers in terms of competition. Faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, French and German leaders called for a recovery “When possible” air links, recalling that this also involves a “principle of reciprocity”, according to a press release from the Elysee.

Macron and Merkel, in addition, reiterated their suspicions about the protection of human rights in China, recalling their “demands” in connection with the fight against forced labor, in apparent allusion to contexts such as those in the region of Xinjiang, where abuses would take place that Beijing has always denied.

The Elysee Palace said talks had been held in advance to calibrate positions ahead of several global meetings, including the UK COP26 summit on tackling global warming in Glasgow.

Regarding air links, affected due to the covid-19 pandemic, European leaders said that given the success of the vaccination campaigns, they “should be resumed as soon as possible, respecting the principle of reciprocity”.

Xi, for his part, said “multilateralism Yes CooperationAccording to Chinese sources cited by DPA and that they offered the other version of a conversation that hadn’t taken place since April, before the latest escalation of political tensions between the two sides.

The President of Lithuania, Gypsy nausea, asked on Monday that the leaders of the European Union hold a face-to-face summit this year with the Chinese president, in an attempt to involve Europeans in contacts which, last year, were limited by the bloc to the participation of the Presidents of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen.

Pact with Iran

Macron, Merkel and Xi have agreed that there is “a window of opportunity“Now for the negotiations with which it is planned to resume the nuclear pact with Iran from 2015, indicated the government of France.

The three leaders agreed that it was necessary move the negotiations forward to reach an agreement “as soon as possible“And avoid the risk of nuclear proliferationsaid a senior French official who requested anonymity. “We must do it now” to avoid major threats regional stability, the official added, adding that the message seeks relaunch negotiations after months of fruitless dialogue.

During six rounds negotiations in Vienna, the six countries that remain involved in the agreement –Russia, China, Germany, France, Great Britain and Iran– tried to resolve issues regarding how the United States can join and how Tehran can return to respect for the pact.

The then president Donald trump withdrew the United States from the deal in 2018, but incumbent Joe Biden repudiated his predecessor’s decision and He said the US government wanted to join the deal.

The last round of negotiations ended in Vienna on June 20 and it is not known when the dialogue will resume. The 2015 deal aims to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, which Tehran denies is seeking.

(With information from AP, AFP and Europa Press)

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