21 Amendments of Fabio Massimo CASTALDO related to 2017/2274(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 5
Citation 5
– having regard to the structured EU- China political dialogue formally established in 1994 and the High-Level Strategic Dialogue on strategic and foreign policy issues established in 2010, in particular the 5th EU-China High-Level Strategic Dialogue held in Beijing on 6 May 2015, and to the 7th EU-China strategic dialogue on 19 April 2017,
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas, at the 2017 EU-China summit, Europe and China reaffirmed their joint commitment to the fight against on climate change, cutting back on fossil fuels, combating rising sea levels and reducing pollution; whereas China is still the world’s most populous country and the largest carbon polluter, releasing almost 10.4 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide from fossil fuels and industry, equal to 29 percent of total emissions worldwide;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas, largely unnoticed in Europe, China has been rapidly and systematically increasing its influence through strategic infrastructure investments and transport links and influencing European political and economic decision- makers, media, academics and the wider public, by building up ‘networks’ of supportive European individuals across societieorganisations and individuals;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas Sino-European monetary and financial links have deepened as a result of China diversification strategy of its foreign reserves and Europe’s support of many China’s monetary ambitions; whereas the old continent is today home of many renminbi clearing banks and offshore hubs and Chinese currency is seen a viable reserve by European banks;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Bb. whereas, although the EU is China’s most important trading partner and the top destination for Chinese foreign investments, Chinese government is still restricting foreign investors entering the market and the activities of European companies already established in China thus creating difficulties for European business willing to invest in China;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B c (new)
Recital B c (new)
Bc. whereas Chinese presence and investments in Africa has been greatly increasing and this has led to an exploitation of natural resources often without a consultation of local populations;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas China continues to keep a tight lid on free speech and on the freedom to inform; whereas China has been considered the biggest prison for journalists, bloggers and independent voices;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K a (new)
Recital K a (new)
Ka. whereas despite the announcements of the last Congress of the Chinese Communist Party the central state still has a very active role in China’s economy and in the production of goods and services; whereas this approach supports a heavily subsidized economy, with a relevant amount of dumping on exported goods;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K b (new)
Recital K b (new)
Kb. whereas the newly adopted EU anti-dumping legislation has weakened the previous system to counter imports of dumped goods; whereas opening and softening of the anti-dumping legislation from the European Union side should happen in condition of reciprocity;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Reasserts that the EU-China Strategic Partnership is one of the mostan important partnerships for the EU and that it still has much more potential for being deepened further and for cooperation in the international arena; underlines that a common vision can foster the cooperation on security and defence, especially in some geographical areas, and can contribute to a new model of international relations based on a more equitable global governance;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Stresses that an EU-China cooperation should be more people- oriented and deliver more real benefits to citizens in order to build mutual trust and understanding; calls on the EU and China to live up to the promises made on the occasion of the 4thEU-China High Level People-to-People Dialogue in 2017 and to promote more interactions among people, for instance by intensifying cultural cooperation in the field of education, training, youth and gender equality and joint initiatives in the field of people to people exchange;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls on the EU Member States to urgently and decisively step up collaboration and unity on their China policies, with a view to speaking with one voice, and strongly suggests taking advantage of Europe’s much greater collective bargaining power with China, and that Europe defends its free democracies so as to better face up to China’s systematic efforts to influence its politicians and civil society, in order to shape an opinion more conducive to China’s strategic interests; is concerned that China is also attempting to influence educational and academic institutions and their curricula; proposes that the EU and the Member States foster high-quality European think tanks on China in order to ensure the availability of independent expert advice for strategic orientations and decision-making;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Calls on the EU Council and the Commission to take a clear stance on China’s deteriorating human rights situation, to condemn government crackdown on critical voices and to call for the release of all political prisoners, including EU citizens; stresses the importance of the Human Rights Dialogue, as a channel of communication and engagement, and at the same time, the need to reform this forum which has become a mere exercise of a quiet diplomacy discussed behind closed doors; call on the European Union to set up clear benchmarks for progress, to ensure more transparency and to involve independent Chines voices in the discussion;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Notes that the NPC during its last session cemented president Xi Jinping’s position of power, increased his role in the state and increased the control of the party organs over the state apparatus;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Observes that while the Social Credit System is still under construction, blacklists of non-compliant individuals and legal entities, as well as ‘red lists’ for outstanding individuals and companies, form the core of the current stage of implementation, whereby the main focus is on punishing offenders on the blacklists and rewarding those on the red lists; firmly rejects the public naming and shaming of blacklisted persons as an integral part of the Social Credit System; underlines the importance and necessity of a dialogue between the EU Institutions and their Chinese counterparts on all serious societal consequences of the present central planning and local experiments with the Social Credit System; stresses that the Chinese state and its bodies are still exerting a strong influence on the internet, limiting its access on the Chinese soil;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Urges China to stop immediately its crackdown on the freedom of speech and opinion, especially of Tibetan activists, independent voices and journalists; calls on China to release political prisoners and to live up to its international obligations on human rights; urges China to respect the rights of ethnic minorities, such as Uyghurs and of other religions such as Falun Gong; expresses serious concern about the forced deportation of those living abroad to China where they risk torture and arbitrary arrest; urges China to review its patriotic education laws which have been imposing Chinese language and culture even on regions with different cultural roots in an attempt of assimilation of such cultures;
Amendment 238 #
11b. Expresses serious concern about the use of counter-terrorism measures to criminalise dissent and dissident individuals via the application of a broad definition of terrorism; is worried about the restrictions on the Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang province which has created a state of police;
Amendment 241 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 c (new)
Paragraph 11 c (new)
11c. Condemns the use of death penalty: China has executed more people than all other countries combined and in 2016 the country carried out about 2,000 death sentences; urges China to shed light on the scale of the executions in the country and to ensure judicial transparency; calls on the European Union to increase its diplomatic efforts and demand respect of human rights and the abolition of death penalty as a condition for pursuing their cooperation;
Amendment 244 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 d (new)
Paragraph 11 d (new)
11d. Recalls that China is an essential partner for peace and security in Asia; welcomes the involvement of China in the talks concerning the Korean peninsula; supports the efforts of dialogue and denuclearization in the peninsula, asking a closer cooperation of the European Union with China and other international partners;
Amendment 245 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 e (new)
Paragraph 11 e (new)
11e. Remembers the importance of the South China Sea as a key area for trade and development of many Asian states as well as for European companies; calls for a more cooperative approach in managing the different security issues emerging in this area, where there are overlapping interests of different countries; calls for keeping free the sea lanes of the South China Sea;
Amendment 246 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 f (new)
Paragraph 11 f (new)
11f. Takes note that China has been increasing its military expenditure; is worried that this behaviour could trigger an arms race, jeopardising political stability;