Activities of David LEGA related to 2023/2127(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
EU-China relations (debate)
Amendments (62)
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 b (new)
Citation 8 b (new)
– having regard to its resolution of 15 June 2023 on the deterioration of fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong, notably the case of Jimmy Lai,
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas China is simultaneously a partner and also increasingly a competitor and systemic rival to the EUa competitor and a systemic rival to the EU, increasingly undermining the EU's interests and posing a growing security threat;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas China is being described as simultaneously a partner and also increasingly a competitor and systemic rival to the EU;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas both the European Union and China have a shared interest inChina is not pursuing constructive and stable relations, which must be based on respect for the rules-based international order, international law, balanced engagement and reciprocity;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas China is changing and moving into a new era of security and control characterised by an increasingly assertive economic and, foreign and military policy, attempts to change the international rules- based order and increasingly oppressive domestic policies;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the EU can only credibly defend its interests and values against an increasingly assertive China if it acts with a single, united approach and political will;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the EU must not accept critical, in coordination with like-minded partners, must clearly communicate to the PRC the consequences of its political or military support by China for Russia’s illegal war of aggression in Ukraine or for any circumvention of EU sanctions imposed followingrelated to Russia’s illegal invasion;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas China’s grey-zone activities, such as warplane incursions, missile drills, economic coercion, and cyberattacks, aim to pressure Taiwan into submission; whereas China’s expansionist policies and harassment behaviour in the South China Sea demonstrate a flagrant disregard for the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the freedom of navigation;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas China’s grey-zone activities, such as warplane incursions, missile drills, economic coercion, and cyberattacks, aim to pressure Taiwan into submission; whereas China’s expansionist policies and harassment behaviour in the South China Sea demonstrate a flagrant disregard for the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the freedom of navigation;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas since the PRC imposed the National Security Law (NSL) on 30 June 2020, fundamental freedoms, the rule of law and the judiciary’s independence in Hong Kong have deteriorated alarmingly; whereas the PRC has fully breached the ‘one country, two systems’ principle, the Sino-British and Sino-Portuguese Joint Declarations and the ICCPR;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H b (new)
Recital H b (new)
Hb. whereas freedom of religion and belief continues to deteriorate across mainland China, with the CCP carrying out an intense campaign of ‘sinicisation’ of religion, requiring all religions to adhere to the party's ideology, doctrine, and teachings;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point a
Paragraph 1 – point a
(a) continue engagingengage selectively with China to tackle global challenges such as climate change and biodiversity, health and pandemic preparedness, debt relief and humanitarian assistance, and increase dialogue with China on security issues in view of China’s increasingly critical role in global securityin those areas where China is willing to engage constructively. Notes with concern, however, that even in areas such as global security, climate change and biodiversity, health and pandemic preparedness, debt relief and humanitarian assistance, China does not play a constructive global role;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point a
Paragraph 1 – point a
(a) continue engaging with China to tackle global challenges such as climate change and biodiversity, health and pandemic preparedness, debt relief and humanitarian assistance, and increase dialogue with Chinalike-minded partners on security issues in view of China’s increasingly critical role in global security;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point b
Paragraph 1 – point b
(b) call on China to uphold the rules- based international order, especially the principles of the UN Charter, including respect for the territorial integrity or political independence of all states, and strengthen multilateral institutions in face of Chinese regime's malign influence and attempts to change international norms;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point b
Paragraph 1 – point b
(b) call on China to uphold the rules- based international order, especially the principles of the UN Charter, including respect for the territorial integrity or political independence of all states; condemn China’s increasing military provocation around the Taiwan Strait;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point b a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point b a (new)
(ba) prevent China from abusing the One China Policy to threaten Taiwan and attempts to isolate and exclude Taipei from multilateral fora;
Amendment 204 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point e
Paragraph 1 – point e
(e) ensure that China plays a constructive role in multilateral organisations such as the World Trade Organization, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations and support steps towards allowing Taiwan’s participation in the meetings, mechanism and activities of relevant international institutions such as the WHO, the International Civil Aviation Organization and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change; strongly oppose China’s constant misinterpretation and distortion of the UN Resolution 2758(XXVI) which contains no mention of People’s Republic of China’s claim of sovereignty over Taiwan, nor does it authorize the PRC to represent Taiwan in the UN system; express grave concerns that Taiwanese passport holders, including journalists, NGO workers and political activists, continued to be barred from accessing tours and events in the UN;
Amendment 215 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point e a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point e a (new)
(ea) oppose China’s constant misinterpretation and distortion of the UN Resolution 2758(XXVI) which contains no mention of People’s Republic of China’s claim of sovereignty over Taiwan, nor does it authorise the PRC to represent Taiwan in the UN system; address grave concerns that Taiwanese passport holders, including journalists, NGO workers and political activists, continued to be barred from accessing tours and events in the UN;
Amendment 221 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point f
Paragraph 1 – point f
(f) note that the Chinese government is strengthening its role and influence in international institutions, including in the United Nations and its Human Rights Council; respond adequately to China’s efforts to build alternative international organisations, including through the BRICS group of countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), by ensuring better coordination among the EU Member States and intensifying partnerships with like-minded partners around the world;
Amendment 239 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g
Paragraph 1 – point g
(g) insist that China fulfils its responsibilities as a global power by upholding human rights and the rule of lawhold China accountable for its violations of human rights and the rule of law, including through multilateral fora such as the UN Human Rights Council;
Amendment 248 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point g a (new)
(ga) oppose China's membership of UN Human Rights Council and work with like-minded partners to support the reform of the UNHRC;
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point h
Paragraph 1 – point h
(h) ensure a unified European approach when China uses its economic leverage to silence opposition against its human rights abuses; intensify and include Members of the European Parliament in the Human Rights Dialogue with China and work towards a united approach on cultural and academic cooperation with China while preventing undue influence from Chinese sources of finance; ensure that the Human Rights Dialogues aren’t misused for propaganda purposes by China but, instead, that the Union’s representatives fully utilise the dialogue by raising concrete cases;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point h
Paragraph 1 – point h
(h) ensure a unified European approach when China uses its economic leverage to silence opposition against its human rights abuses; intensify and include Members of the European Parliament in the Human Rights Dialogue with China and work towards a united approach on cultural and academic cooperation with China while preventing undue influence from Chinese sources of finance; continuously evaluate the cultural and academic cooperation with China to make sure that these cooperation are not used as foreign interference mechanisms from the PRC;
Amendment 269 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point i
Paragraph 1 – point i
(i) support an independent and impartial UN investigation into human rights violations in China, in particular in Xinjiang and, Tibet and Hong Kong, and urge the Chinese authorities to grant meaningful access to the regions concerned and immediately and unconditionally release the Uyghur scholar and 2019 Sakharov Prize Laureate Ilham Tohti; call for the immediate release of Chinese human rights defenders and lawyers, including Li Qiaochu, Xu Yan, Xie Yang, Li Yuhan, Yang Bin, Lin Shenliang, Sophia Huang Xueqin, Wang Jianbing, He Fangmei and Wu Yi;
Amendment 270 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point i
Paragraph 1 – point i
(i) support an independent and impartial UN investigation into human rights violations in China, in particular in Xinjiang and Tibet, and urge the Chinese authorities to grant meaningful access to the regions concerned and immediately and unconditionally release the Uyghur scholar and 2019 Sakharov Prize Laureate Ilham Tohti; support the 2022 UN Human Right report on Xinjiang and call on China to cease its crimes against humanity in the region, which include arbitrary and discriminatory detention of members of Uyghur and other predominantly Muslim groups;
Amendment 277 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point i a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point i a (new)
(ia) condemn the PRC’s assimilationist policies in Tibet that violate the educational, religious, cultural and linguistic rights of the Tibetan people and threaten to ultimately eradicate Tibetan culture and identity, including the compulsory boarding school and pre- school system; stresses that such policies separates over 1 million Tibetan children from their families and enforces Chinese- language education;
Amendment 279 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point i a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point i a (new)
(ia) underline religious freedom and human rights have continued to deteriorate in China; condemn Chinese government measures aimed at suppressing believers who resist being controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and which force bishops to join the CCP-controlled Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association; highlight the need to protect religious freedom from authoritarianism like China;
Amendment 281 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point i a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point i a (new)
(ia) insist on China to follow up on the recommendations of the UN Human Rights Committee, UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and UN Committee on Women’s Rights regarding violations of rights and freedoms and breaches of international legal obligations in China, in particular Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong;
Amendment 288 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point i b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point i b (new)
(ib) urge China to immediately allow private Tibetan schools to be established and ensure that Mandarin is not the only language allowed as the language of instruction in Tibet; consider adopting sanctions on Chinese officials responsible for designing and implementing the boarding school and preschool system in Tibet;
Amendment 289 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point i c (new)
Paragraph 1 – point i c (new)
(ic) reaffirm that the credible evidence about birth prevention measures and the separation of Uyghur children from their families amount to crimes against humanity and represent a serious risk of genocide; call on the Chinese authorities to cease all government-sponsored programmes of forced labour and mass forced sterilisation and to put an immediate end to any measures aimed at preventing births in the Uyghur population;
Amendment 291 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point i d (new)
Paragraph 1 – point i d (new)
(id) reiterate its call on the Council to adopt additional sanctions targeting high- ranking PRC officials, such as Chen Quanguo, Zhao Kezhi, Guo Shengkun and Hu Lianhe, as well as others identified in the Xinjiang police files, and other individuals and entities, who are involved in the systematic human rights violations and crimes against humanity in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region;
Amendment 292 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point i d (new)
Paragraph 1 – point i d (new)
(id) adopt additional sanctions targeting high-ranking PRC officials, such as Chen Quanguo, Zhao Kezhi, Guo Shengkun and Hu Lianhe, as well as others identified in the Xinjiang police files, and other individuals and entities, who are involved in the systematic human rights violations and crimes against humanity in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region;
Amendment 294 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point i f (new)
Paragraph 1 – point i f (new)
(if) address the deteriorating situation of religious freedom in China; condemn the Chinese government measures aimed at suppressing believers who resist being controlled by the CCP, and which force bishops to join the CCP-controlled Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association;
Amendment 297 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point j
Paragraph 1 – point j
(j) address individual cases of European citizens, including dual nationals, being held in ‘administrative detention’ in China, such as the Swedish bookseller Gui Minhai, and use all diplomatic channels to pressure for their release;
Amendment 299 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point j a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point j a (new)
(ja) ensure adequate resources for the European Union Office to Hong Kong (EU Office) so that it can continue conducting prison visits and human rights monitoring, by releasing public statements, appointing a human rights focal point among its staff for human rights defenders and raising their cases with the authorities at all levels; calls on the EEAS and the EU Office to report regularly on the most prominent trials, as well as on the evolution of the human rights situation in Hong Kong more generally;
Amendment 305 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point k
Paragraph 1 – point k
(k) show solidarity with civil society inacross mainland China and Hong Kong and speed up the implementation of the European human rights framework with Magnitsky-style sanctions in close collaboration with international partners, including the freezing of foreign assets and visa restrictions against those involved in human rights abuses, including and crimes against humanity, including John Lee and other Hong Kong and PRC political decision makers in Hong Kong;
Amendment 313 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point l
Paragraph 1 – point l
(l) identify and close down any avenues that currently facilitate transnational repression efforts by the People’s Republic of China (PRC), including illegal Chinese 'police stations' in the European Union and in particular those targeting diaspora communities, in cooperation and coordination with like- minded partners; work with third countries to protect the targets of the PRC's transnational repression, such as Chinese and Hong Kong human rights lawyers and activists;
Amendment 324 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point m a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point m a (new)
(ma) review the agreement between the EU and Hong Kong/China on cooperation and mutual administrative assistance in customs matters, the status of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels, and Hong Kong’s seat in the World Trade Organization;
Amendment 328 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point n
Paragraph 1 – point n
(n) condemn attempts by the Chinese authorities to target Chinese and Hong Kong diaspora communities within the EU and call on those Member States who have not yet done so to suspend extradition treaties with the PRC and Hong Kong;
Amendment 330 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point n
Paragraph 1 – point n
(n) condemn attempts by the Chinese authorities to target Chinese and Hong Kong diaspora communities within the EU and call on Member States to suspend extradition treaties with the PRC and Hong Kong;
Amendment 331 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point n
Paragraph 1 – point n
(n) condemn attempts by the Chinese authorities to target Hong Kong diaspora communities within the EU and call on Member States to suspend extradition treaties with the PRC and, Hong Kong and Macau;
Amendment 338 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point n a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point n a (new)
(na) organise annual 4 June Tiananmen Square vigils in commemoration of the victim of communist totalitarianism;
Amendment 340 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point n b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point n b (new)
(nb) closely monitor the trials of political prisoners in Hong Kong and call for the release of such political prisoners, including the founder of Apple Daily Jimmy Lai and the 47 pro-democracy activists, including former elected legislators, arrested and imprisoned for holding a primary election campaign in 2020;
Amendment 344 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point n c (new)
Paragraph 1 – point n c (new)
(nc) fully implement the Council conclusions on Hong Kong of 24 July 2020;
Amendment 351 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – subheading 3
Paragraph 1 – subheading 3
Amendment 358 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point o
Paragraph 1 – point o
(o) work closely towards fostering unity and political will among the Member States’ approach towards China and strengthen the EU’s strategic autonomy to ensure that Europe is able to defend its values and economic interests vis-a-vis China, as well as the global rules-based order;
Amendment 364 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point p
Paragraph 1 – point p
(p) work towards a renewed, assertive and coherent EU approach towards China that shapes relations with the PRC in the interest of the EU as a whole and takes full account of the challenges stemming from the PRC’s rise as a disruptive global actor and, its increasingly oppressive domestic policies and assertive foreign policythe multi-dimensional security threat it poses to the EU and to democracies around the world;
Amendment 375 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point q
Paragraph 1 – point q
(q) strengthen the EU’s economic autonomy, and develop effective approaches to counter China’s targeted economic coercion towards Member States, such as Lithuania; ensure mutually beneficial economic relations and prevent sensitive technologies from being used for military purposes by de-risking trade flows and reducing critical dependencies on the PRC without aiming to decouple or turning inwards;
Amendment 390 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point r a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point r a (new)
(ra) highlight that Taiwan’s semiconductor industry is vital for global economy and more than 50 percent of the world’s shipping containers pass through Taiwan Straits; urge the EU and its Member States to take a firm stand against China’s intimidation and coercion towards Taiwan; welcome Taiwan’s semiconductor manufacturing diversification in Europe and reiterate its longstanding support to a EU-Taiwan Bilateral Investment Agreement and any arrangements mutually beneficial to bilateral trade and investment;
Amendment 395 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point r c (new)
Paragraph 1 – point r c (new)
(rc) strengthen economic cooperation with Taiwan, including the semiconductor industry which is vital for global economy and continue supporting Taiwan’s semiconductor manufacturing diversification in Europe;
Amendment 396 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point s
Paragraph 1 – point s
(s) work towards a more coordinated approach towards the protection of critical infrastructure at EU level and strengthen cooperation with NATO and other like- minded partners; present an EU strategic policy framework to reduce and limit influence and operational control by China and other regimes that a security threat to the Union in the EU’s critical infrastructure;
Amendment 405 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point s a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point s a (new)
(sa) call on the Commission and the Member States to urgently address the need to reduce the risks of espionage and sabotage in critical infrastructure, in particular those with a military function, such as ports that are used by NATO;
Amendment 413 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point t
Paragraph 1 – point t
(t) ensure greater coordination and cooperation with like-minded partners to address the multi-dimensional threat posed by China, on issues of common concern, especially but not exclusively on issues such as strategic dependencies, economic coercion, political interference and disinformation, and to promote rules- based multilateralism and strategic solidarity between democracies;
Amendment 419 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point u
Paragraph 1 – point u
(u) highlight that the EU’s ‘One China policy’ remains the foundation of our engagement with both the PRC and Taiwan but also; maintain that whilst the EU’s relationship with Taiwan remains unofficial, it recognises Taiwan as a reliable and valued like-minded partner in Asia; underline the positive effects and strategic importance of deepening ties between the EU and Taiwan;
Amendment 423 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point u
Paragraph 1 – point u
(u) highlight that the EU’s ‘One China policy’ remains the foundation of our engagement with both the PRC and Taiwan but also underl, and that the Union will not tolerate its abuse by Beijing; continue strengthenineg the positive effectdynamic of deepening ties between the EU and Taiwan;
Amendment 428 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point v
Paragraph 1 – point v
(v) revisit the EU’s engagement policy with Taiwan and continue supporting democracy there together with like-minded partners; encourage further exchanges between Parliament and its Taiwanese counterparts in this context as well as people-to-people contact; strengthen cooperation with Taiwanese institutions in addressing China's hybrid threats;
Amendment 435 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point v a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point v a (new)
(va) intensify cooperation and pursue a comprehensive enhanced partnership with Taiwan, notably essential cooperation on critical supply chain resilience, and countering disinformation and foreign interference; stresses the need to urgently begin an impact assessment, public consultation and scoping exercise on a Bilateral Investment Agreement (BIA) with the Taiwanese authorities in preparation for negotiations to deepen bilateral economic ties;
Amendment 441 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point w
Paragraph 1 – point w
(w) ensure that the status quo in the Taiwan Strait is not changed by means of force or coercion by supporting initiatives aimed at promoting dialogue, cooperation and confidence-building between the two sides; take concrete steps, including increasing Coordinated Maritime Presences (CMP) in the Taiwan Strait, facilitating Taiwan’s military capability- building, and considering economic sanction packages in the event of a Chinese invasion, to discourage China from escalating tensions in the region; prepare a scenario-based strategy for tackling potential security challenges in the Taiwan Strait;
Amendment 455 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point x
Paragraph 1 – point x
(x) establish a ‘Far-East StratCom Task Force’ as part of the European External Action Service, to be tasked with identifying, monitoring and countering disinformation efforts and nation-specific actions by China; strengthen efforts to fight Chinese malign influence, including information operations, in third countries, including Latin America and Africa;
Amendment 459 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point x a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point x a (new)
(xa) strengthen cooperation between national intelligence agencies in identifying and addressing Chinese espionage and other subversive activities seeking to influence or undermine our democratic societies and institutions;
Amendment 472 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point y a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point y a (new)
(ya) make clear to China the consequences of supporting Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine and sanctions circumvention, including through the territory of Hong Kong;
Amendment 473 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point y a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point y a (new)
(ya) stress that the human rights situation in China must be taken into consideration before final ratification of the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI);