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Silence on human rights...the price Europe must pay for China's billions
He who pays the piper calls the tune or is it "beggars can't be choosers."As EU officials flew to Beijing to beg for financial help last night, Brussels was accused of allowing China to buy Europes silence over its appalling human rights record. Campaigners spoke out after the head of Europes bailout fund arrived in the Chinese capital to discuss the terms on which the hardline regime might agree to inject billions into the struggling eurozone countries. Campaigners fear EU negotiators will cave in to Chinese demands to tone down criticism of the regimes human rights record. Experts believe Beijing will also press for the lifting of a long-standing Western arms embargo and demand preferential trade terms. Tim Hancock, campaigns director at Amnesty International, warned there was a real danger that Beijing would exploit Europes weakness for its own ends. Posted by: tipper 2011-10-29 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=332507 |