French Foreign Minister\u2019s Beijing Visit a Chance to Raise Crackdown on Activists, Lawyers<\/p>\n
APRIL 12, 2017 11:14AM EDT<\/p>\n
French<\/a> Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault will arrive in China<\/a> tomorrow for what will be his last official visit in this country. But he can make it much more than that: it\u2019s an opportunity to publicly express his concern about the serious attack on human rights in China<\/a>, and make it clear that France stands in solidarity with China\u2019s courageous activists, whose space is constantly being narrowed by government repression.<\/p>\n Under the presidency of Xi Jinping, who came to power in 2013, the Chinese government has drastically restricted basic rights. Persecution of political activists and human rights defenders has seen hundreds of lawyers and activists jailed, with many receiving long prison terms<\/a>. Among them is Liu Xiaobo<\/a>, the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who has been in prison for more than eight years.<\/p>\n Barring rare symbolic actions, including the recent presentation of the Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law<\/a> to Wang Qiaoling, wife of detained human rights lawyer Li Heping, France has been nearly silent on the Chinese government\u2019s crackdown. France\u2019s reticence, spurred in large part by commercial interests, stands in stark contrast to Ayrault\u2019s recent speech<\/a> on the importance of human rights in French diplomacy. \u201cFundamental rights and their universality are at the very heart of our identity, and therefore of our policies,\u201d he said. \u201cFrance\u2019s determination to defend them everywhere\u2026 does not go against our interests.\u2026 [I]t contributes, in fact, to the promotion of our interests. Because these values are not unrealistic fantasies. They are principles of action.\u201d<\/p>\n