US embassy cable - 03ROME5710

C O N F I D E N T I A L  ROME 005710 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT. FOR DRL, EUR AND EAP 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/17/2013 
TAGS: PHUM, PREL, CH, IT, HUMAN RIGHTS 
SUBJECT: ITALY: EU-CHINA HR DIALOGUE: POSITIVE ATMOSPHERE 
BUT NO SUBSTANCE 
 
REF: A. STATE 325020 
 
     B. ROME 05349 
     C. BEIJING 18148 
 
Classified By: Pol M/C T. Countryman for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (C) Summary: MFA officials claim the EU-China Human Rights 
Dialogue was a positive and cooperative exchange but, it did 
not provide any tangible commitments or actions from the 
Chinese. The Chinese underscored their willingness to work 
through international mechanisms to respect human rights but, 
their continued reliance on methods such as religious group 
registration and re-education camps and a lack of positive 
results or commitments belies their purported sincerity to 
improve the human rights situation. End Summary. 
 
2. (C) PolOff met with Carlo Campanile, MFA Human Rights 
Deputy Office Director, to review the recent EU-China Human 
Rights Dialogue held in Beijing November 27-28. Campanile 
reported a positive and cooperative atmosphere, with the 
Chinese showing interest in and giving importance to the 
issues presented. Among the topics discussed were cooperation 
with international mechanisms, HIV/AIDS, religious freedom, 
reeducation camps, torture, the death penalty and Tibet. 
Campanile stated that the EU members came away from the 
dialogue with a generally positive impression and that the 
Chinese were cooperative but, he did not recount any 
substantial improvements nor provide any tangible commitments 
from the Chinese. A seminar with NGO participants was held 
separately in Venice, December 15-16 to discuss the NGO role 
as well as the challenges of working in China particularly 
due to the need for authorization and registration through 
the government. A public document will be prepared on the 
Seminar, which probably will be posted on the Ministry's EU 
Presidency website. 
 
3. (C) Campanile claimed that the Chinese are willing to 
collaborate with the international community and work through 
international mechanisms, such as the UN, to achieve progress 
on human rights issues. As an example, Campanile presented 
the recent September visit by the UN Special Rapporteur on 
the Right to Education (the results of which were badly 
received by the Chinese as indicated in reftel C) and the 
possible upcoming visit of the UN Special Rapporteur on 
Torture, for which a planning visit may be scheduled for 
early 2004. No dates or commitments have been made for either 
the planning trip or the rapporteur's visit, and the EU 
appears to have made little progress pinning the Chinese down 
on specifics. 
 
4. (C) Campanile highlighted the dialogue's focus on 
HIV/AIDS. This was the first time this issue was discussed 
and Campanile stated that the Chinese admitted to the 
existence of the problem and the need to care for and 
reintegrate citizens with this disease. He stated that the 
Chinese are not only concerned with the disease but also with 
the treatment of people who are HIV positive and thus 
discriminated against. Although he could not provide 
specifics, Campanile stated that the Chinese government is 
providing funds and creating programs to battle HIV/AIDS and 
ensure fair treatment of victims. As a demonstration of these 
efforts the Chinese organized a delegation visit to Beijing's 
Ditan hospital HIV/AIDS ward. 
 
5. (C) Campanile stated that religious freedom is respected 
in China and that the administrative registration of 
religious groups by the government is intended to offer 
protection to religious groups. In the case of Fulan Gong he 
stated that this group was considered a sect and thus not 
granted these freedoms. In fact, some members were "enrolled" 
in re-education camps (RTL). The Chinese presented 
re-education camps as a solution rather than a human rights 
problem. Campanile stated that the Chinese have a society in 
which adherence to structured norms is a requirement for 
participation and in which rapid change is not to be 
expected. Although not approving of these camps, he stated 
that the Chinese viewed the camps as a way of reintegrating 
people into the society as positive participants. Per reftel 
C the EU delegation visited the Daxin RTL facility which they 
felt was designed for show. 
 
6. (C) On other issues, Campanile reported status quo 
discussions on the death penalty. The Chinese reported a 
 
 
decrease in executions even though they have no way of 
proving it since no statistics are maintained or, if they 
exist, are considered a "state secret" (reftel C). Tibet was 
discussed within the larger issue of minority rights. The 
Chinese maintained their position stating that they are 
willing to entertain dialogue but will not consider 
independence. Note: Although not mentioned during the 
dialogue, the Chinese were upset by the recent visit of the 
Dalai Lama to Rome; other contacts have told us that a 
"hysterical" Chinese ambassador called U/S Boniver four times 
one afternoon urging no official contact with the Dalai Lama. 
End Note. 
 
7. (C) Campanile supported a continued EU-China dialogue 
stating that although change is slow in China, the Chinese 
have expressed a desire to cooperate and collaborate on HR 
issues and continue with the dialogue. Some EU member 
countries felt the dialogue was not leading to results and 
thus needed to be modified. 
 
8. (C) Comment: Based on the lack of specifics, details and 
examples, as well as the overly positive tone on issues of 
concern (i.e. re-education camps, religious freedom), PolOff 
is skeptical of the read-out provided by Campanile. In fact, 
the vague report presented by Campanile suggests that the 
dialogue was not as positive as he suggests and indicates 
inactivity by the Chinese on dealing with the human rights 
situation. Post will continue to explore other GOI 
perspectives and solicits comment from colleagues in 
Brussels and Beijing. End Comment. 
 
SEMBLER 
 
 
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 2003ROME05710 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL