29 Amendments of Sir Graham WATSON related to 2012/2137(INI)
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
Ia. whereas the Tibet Autonomous Region and other Tibetan autonomous areas, and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region have become important territories for China's regional, military and economic ambitions and therefore are seen as core issues of 'territorial integrity' by the current Chinese Government;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I b (new)
Recital I b (new)
Ib. whereas as of 6th September 2012, 54 Tibetans have self-immolated in Tibetan populated areas of the People's Republic of China, including the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and Tibetan Autonomous Areas within the Gansu, Sichuan and Qinghai provinces;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas the 21st century sees the impressive return of China on the world scene as a superglobal power, on account of its ongoing rapidly growing economic and military power;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K b (new)
Recital K b (new)
Kb. whereas China's WTO accession protocol does not foresee market economy status (MES) until 2016; whereas this constitutes a major point of contention for the Chinese leadership, which is eager to obtain MES earlier and which has led it to state that the further acquisition of sovereign bonds in the Euro area could be made contingent on the EU altering its position on this issue;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K c (new)
Recital K c (new)
Kc. whereas China is expanding its trade and economic relations with third parties by initiating Free Trade Agreements with the Republic of Korea and Japan, which could eventually lead to the creation of a NE Asian FTA; whereas as a global trade power, China has a strategic interest in ensuring that the regional trade arrangements that it creates or joins are compatible with the global rules;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K d (new)
Recital K d (new)
Kd. whereas China produces 97% of the world's rare earths and imposes significant export duties and reduced export quotas on these goods, in violation of its WTO commitments; whereas these restrictions significantly distort global markets, creating a disadvantage for EU companies;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K e (new)
Recital K e (new)
Ke. whereas the EU, US and Japan have complained to the WTO about China's practise of increasing export duties and reducing export quotas which they argue unfairly benefit Chinese companies; whereas Beijing maintains that its restrictions are needed to protect the environment, conserve supplies and meet domestic demand;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L
Recital L
L. whereas the positive role of the PRC in South-East Asia in terms of economic regionalisation and dynamics is becoming increasingly overshadowed by territorial disputes in the South China Sea withwith Japan and Taiwan (Senkaku/Diaoyu islands), Vietnam (Paracel/Xisha islands) and Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan (Spratly/Nansha islands) – all areas rich in fish, as well as in oil and gas reserves;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N
Recital N
N. whereas the deepening economic relations between ChBeijinag and the USA are the world's most important bilateral ties, in particular owing to the phenomenon of ‘Chinamerica’, or the strong financial- economic entanglement of Beijing and WashingtonWashington constitutes one of the world's most significant bilateral ties;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O a (new)
Recital O a (new)
Oa. Whereas the rising tensions over the disputed islands and overlapping and conflicting claims exist in the East Asia's maritime areas;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
(b) Urges China, as the world's rising trading power, to play a constructive role in international fora; in addition maintains that it is in the Chinese leadership's interest to act as the guardian of an open trading system and fully abide by its WTO commitments as a contribution to the resolution of the ongoing "rare earths" and other trade disputes;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Underlines that although forced abortions are strictly illegal in China, family-planning officials repeatedly coerce women into abortions or sterilisation; condemns the so-called ‘social maintenance fee’, an often exorbitant fine that parents have to pay in the event of extra births, as was the case in the tragedy of Feng Jianmei; wholeheartedly supports Chinese voices that call for an end of the one-child policy;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
Amendment 213 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 d (new)
Paragraph 8 d (new)
(d) Urges Chinese authorities as well as the European investors and companies that operate in China to respect international labour standards to guarantee decent working conditions and respect of human rights in China; is of the opinion that the EU should not allow market access for goods which have been produced in facilities which gravely violate international labour standards and human rights such as prison labour camps;
Amendment 219 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 j (new)
Paragraph 8 j (new)
(j) Admires the courage and activism of those Chinese citizens who act in socially responsible ways to promote and defend human rights, and address issues such as corruption, abuse of office, environmental damage, AIDS infection, food poisoning, construction fraud concerning schools, and illegal land and property expropriation; denounces all incidences of official retaliation against these Chinese citizens; and expects a responsible Chinese leadership to comply strictly with domestic and international human rights law;
Amendment 231 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
Amendment 244 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
(b) Recognises the significant efforts by the Chinese Government to develop Tibet and Xinjiang economically and the impact of such efforts on nomad communities and traditional livelihoods; urges the Chinese Government to meaningfully engage the Tibetan and Uighur peoples in governance issues, including resource management and economic development priorities, and respecting rather than diluting cultural elements such as language and religion; strongly asserts that the Chinese Government will not achieve lasting stability in Tibet or Xinjiang or comity among Chinese, Tibetan and Uighur peoples through forcible assimilation, cultural destruction or repressive police and security methods;
Amendment 248 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Stresses that, notwithstanding a harsh policy of repression, a religious revival is taking place in China which is demonstrated by the reopening or reconstruction of countless places of worship; urges the Chinese authorities to replavise policies and practices their ineffective policy of controlling religion with one offering realat curtail any citizen's right to freedom of religion and belief;
Amendment 259 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Wishes to see the flourishing Protestant house churches and undergrouProtestant and Catholic churches granted official recognition by the Chinese State as well; strongly condemns all attempts by the authorities to deprive these non-registered churches of their fundamental right of freedom of religion and belief;
Amendment 268 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 f – subparagraph 1 (new)
Paragraph 12 f – subparagraph 1 (new)
Cross-Strait Relations
Amendment 270 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 h (new)
Paragraph 12 h (new)
(h) Welcomes the increasing contacts between the PRC and Taiwan; stresses that the improvement in Cross-Strait relations is still seriously undermined by PRC's missiles aimed at Taiwan and China's international isolation of Taiwan; calls on China and the EU to respect Taiwan's right to meaningful participation in international organisations, as endorsed by the Council's declaration 9486/09 of 8 May 2009;
Amendment 271 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 i (new)
Paragraph 12 i (new)
(i) Salutes the strong economic ties flourishing between mainland China and Taiwan, as well as the new opening of Taiwan towards Chinese tourists and cultural cooperation; considers that the internationalisation of trade and investment to be the best guarantor of Taiwan's stability; urges Taiwan's government therefore, to accompany its investment in the PRC with investments elsewhere;
Amendment 272 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 j (new)
Paragraph 12 j (new)
(d) Welcomes the recent initiative coming from the President of Taiwan for a consensus for a code of conduct of the East China Sea and the establishment of a mechanism allowing all sides to cooperate in the exploitation of the region's natural resources, including capacity for the generation of electricity from renewable sources; considers that this is a model to be used also in the South China Sea region;
Amendment 293 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Underlines the global importance of the South China Sea, through which one-third of the world's trade passes, and therefore urgently appeals to all involved parties to settle their conflicting territorial claims in the South China Sea by international arbitration and to refrain from unilateral political and military actions and ensure regional stability;
Amendment 298 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 d (new)
Paragraph 15 d (new)
(d) Due to the European Union's significant interests in the security and stability of East Asia, calls upon all parties concerned (China, Japan and Taiwan) to demonstrate restraint and to take steps to calm the situation; urges all parties concerned to settle disputes peacefully in a spirit of cooperation and in respect of international law, in particular the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea;
Amendment 313 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Observes that the new American strategy of ‘rebalance’ or ‘pivot’ towards Asia is perceived as a threat by the Chinese leadershipnewed focus on Asia is perceived by the Chinese leadership as an attempt by the USA to contain China's rapid economic and political ascension; encourages China and the USA to avoid tensions and an arms race in the Pacific; urges China to honour America's vital interest in ensuring freedom of circulation on the seas;
Amendment 315 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. ANotes that the increasing Chinese presence in Africa has contributed to economic development, with a particular focus on infrastructure projects, however warns China against repeating the ethical and strategic flaws of European colonialism in supporting repressive regimes; appreciates the Chinese leadership's acknowledgement of the serious criticism of its imbalanced, raw- material-centred African policy during the Forum of Chinese-African Cooperation (FOCAC), held on 20 July 2012 in Beijing, which is shown by its current open promotion of a diversification of its activities on the continent; points to the obvious ethical and strategic flaws of China's non- intervention principle in Africa's domestic policies in cases of popular resistance against repressive regimes (e.g., Sudan), or in cases of regime change (e.g., Libya); notes that the increasing Chinese presence in Africa has led to grave social tensions, but welcomes the fact that Chinese companies have expressed their willingness to place greater emphasis on social responsibility in their African activities;