European Parliament Passes a Resolution Outlining Their Response to the 22nd March Chinese Counter-Sanctions Go back »
2021-05-20 | All chapters
On Thursday, 20th May, the European Parliament Plenary passed by an overwhelming majority (599 votes in favour, 30 against and 58 abstentions) a resolution that condemned the Chinese sanctions imposed as a retaliation for the EU’s sanctions package, which was targeted at four Chinese individuals and an entity deemed responsible of human rights abuses in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). Please find the press release here, and the fully adopted resolution here.
- The Parliament deems the Chinese response to the EU sanctions package disproportionate, arbitrary and not according to international law.
- The Parliament reiterates that they will continue to raise human rights-related issues and urges China to address the issues of human rights abuses in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, as well as to ratify relevant International Labor Organization Conventions on forced labour.
- The Parliament underlines that discussions on ratification of the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) are frozen, with a Chinese lifting of such sanctions as a pre-condition for the Parliament to initiate talks on ratification (without prejudice on the outcome).
- The Parliament calls for an updated China strategy that reflects China’s evolution in recent years. In particular, the Parliament demands that EU-level autonomous measures like the International Procurement Instrument (IPI), the anti-coercion instrument, the instrument on foreign subsidies and the Foreign Direct Investment Screening Mechanism be swiftly developed, rolled out, implemented or strengthened. The Parliament also urges the Commission to publish its sustainable corporate governance regulation that includes clauses on mandatory due diligence across supply chains and to impose an import ban on forced labour goods. The Parliament also calls on the Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) to finalise a business advisory with guidance for companies on the exposure to risk of using Uyghur forced labour. The Parliament also calls for the reinforcement of measures to address hybrid and cybersecurity attacks.
- The Parliament urges the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and the Council of the EU to adopt conclusions on Hong Kong even if there is no unanimity, and calls on the 10 member states that still have extradition treaties with China to suspend them.
- The Parliament also calls for the EU to increase cooperation with the United States (US) within the framework of the Transatlantic Dialogue on China.
