08.07.2009

Commenting on the violence in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, which has left many people dead and injured, Helga Trüpel MEP, member of the EP's China delegation, said:

"These riots are a direct result of China's repressive policies against the Uighur minority. The Uighur minority has been systematically repressed and discriminated against, with measures such as the closing of the minority schools and the prohibition of Turkic languages in lectures. These policies, combined with ethnic resettlement policies of the Beijing government, have disadvantaged the Uighurs and caused suffering.

"China must stop its repressive policies against minorities and respect the cultural identity of the Uighurs and other ethnic groups, such as the Tibetans. Unfortunately, the EU seems to have given up the ambition to make human rights issues a focus of its foreign policy. This is particularly true of relations with China, with human rights issues being brushed under the table. The new Swedish presidency of the EU must put pressure on China to stop human rights violations in Xinjiang and elsewhere