China - Q&A from the press briefing (1 March 2021)

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Q : Last week the minister denounced a “system of institutionalized repression” in China against the Uighurs. What actions does France propose to take to get China to move forward on this issue?

A : We have already expressed ourselves repeatedly on this issue, and the minister once again condemned these human rights violations last Wednesday at the Human Rights Council.

We continue to express our deepest concerns at each of our bilateral meetings, as does the European Union at EU-China meetings, and we reiterate our call for an international mission of independent monitors under the supervision of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet that would conduct an unhindered investigation on the ground without preconditions and objectively report the facts.

At the European level, we are making this demand ahead of the next EU-China dialogue on human rights. We will pay very close attention to whether China complies with the commitments it took in regard to the conclusion of negotiations on the EU-China investment agreement to ratify the WTO agreements on forced labor.