EU President Urges China to Uphold Human Rights[Wednesday, 18 May 2011, 11:35 a.m.]

European Council President Herman Van Rompuy addresses a news conference at the end of an European Union leaders summit in Brussels in this March 25, 2011 Reuters file photograph

European Council President Herman Van
Rompuy on Tuesday urged China to bolster its international image by
upholding human rights and the rule of law. He
also said China’s global reputation could be harmed by its negative
record on human rights, although he made no direct mention of recent
cases of repression, including the detention of artists and government
critics.Van Rompuy held discussions with
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on topics ranging from trade to human rights
and copyright protection.“The upholding
of universal human rights is ‘of deep concern for European citizens,
and it is reflected in our diplomacy across the world,” he was quoted
as saying by DPA. “China’s
contribution to implementing the universal principles of human rights
and rule of law will be an important element shaping its global public
reputation,” Van Rompuy told members of China’s ruling Communist Party.Van
Rompuy stressed the central importance of human rights in the EU’s
foreign policy and called on China to honour international rights
covenants it has signed.He did not mention the crackdown directly, but indicated China’s global image could suffer from its actions.