Human rights not off limits in discussions with China, says Cameron

Prime minister, speaking at press conference with Wen Jiabao, says two countries ‘should show each other respect’ David Cameron has insisted human rights issues are not “off limits” with China after holding talks with the Chinese premier, Wen Jiabao. As the two leaders announced a package of trade deals worth £1.4bn, the prime minister said he would always raise difficult questions about political freedom and the justice system, as well as seeking closer economic ties. Meanwhile, Wen said London and Beijing had to treat each other as “equals” on human rights. He stressed that China was pursuing “political structural reform and improvement of democracy and the rule of law”. The leaders faced the media at a press conference in central London during Wen’s three-day visit to the UK. Asked whether he had raised human rights issues during the talks, Cameron said: “There is no trade-off in our relationship. It is not about either discussing trade or human rights. “Britain and China have such a strong and developed relationship. We have a dialogue that covers all these issues, and nothing is off limits in the discussions that we have. “We are different countries, we have different histories, different stages of development. We should show each other respect. But we’re very clear that political and economic development should go hand in hand, that one supports the other.” Wen said: “On human rights, China and the UK should respect each other, respect the facts, treat each other as equals, engage in more co-operation than finger-pointing and resolve our differences through dialogue. “China is not only pursuing economic development but also political structural reform and improvement in democracy and the rule of law.” David Cameron Foreign policy Wen Jiabao China Human rights guardian.co.uk

Posted by on June 27, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.