Zhou Jue presenting copies of Human Rights magazine to deputy director of information of the German Foreign Ministry

Headed by Zhou Jue, President of the China Society for Human Rights Studies (CSHRS), the delegation of CSHRS paid a visit to Germany, Austria, Belgium and EU from December 1 to 17, 2003, at invitations of relevant organizations. This is the first delegation sent by CSHRS to visit the three countries and EU since its founding in 1993.

The delegation had extensive exchanges, dialogues and forums with the parliamentarians, government officials, and people from political parties and non-government human rights organizations, research institutions and academic groups in Germany, Austria, Belgium and EU during the visit, and met the press respectively in the three countries. While in Germany, the delegation also paid a visit to the Tegel Prison in Berlin, the largest in the country. These activities helped enhance the mutual understanding and reduced misunderstandings of China.

During the visit, the delegation briefed the hosts on China’s achievements in its socialist modernization drive, development of the country’s human rights cause, China’s stance and basic viewpoints on human rights issues, and explained China’s positions on some issues of special concerns, such as individuals’ human rights, Tibet, Falungong, death penalty, torture, unlawful custody and human rights dialogues. These mutual exchanges helped clarify some misunderstandings of China. Understanding and acknowledgement were acquired on China’s progress in human rights undertakings in recent years, remarkable improvement of people’s material and spiritual life, rights to subsistence and development as the primary human rights for the Chinese people, and necessity to enhance dialogues instead of antagonism on issues of human rights.
　　　　　
President of CSHRS Zhou Jue in talk with the Chairperson of the External Relations Committee of European Commission.


Volker Neumann, Chairman of the Germany-China Group and Human Rights Committee under the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Federal Parliament of Germany, said the momentum of development in China’s reform and opening up and economic construction is unprecedented in the world history. While in its economic development, China has managed to remain stable politically, which is remarkable. He also pointed out that most German people lack understanding of China, but those who have made a visit to China would change their views. Dr. Herta Daeubler-Gmelin, former Minister of Justice and current Chairperson of the Agricultural Committee of the Federal Parliament of Germany, expressed her pleasure to see some new agreements were reached between China and Germany on human rights issues during Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder’s latest visit to China. She said she was pleased to see China is advancing towards governance by law step by step. Dr. Heinz Fischer, Vice President of the Austrian Parliament who visited China on several occasions in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, acclaimed that China is full of vigor and has gone through tremendous changes, which are amazing. Walter Posch, member of the Austrian Parliament and spokesman on human rights issues of the Social Democratic Party, said that China’s economic growth is now a hot topic in the west. In a period of just one generation, the Chinese people have made achievements that took several generations to realize in other countries. Posch agreed that the right to subsistence is the primary in human rights, saying that China has made the most impressive achievements in solving the problem of feeding and clothing its people, which should be recognized. Terezija Stoisits, Chairperson of Human Rights Committee of the Austrian Parliament who has never been to China’s mainland, said she disagrees with some people in Austria and Europe who always think of the so-called human rights issues in Tibet at the very mention of China. People should not just focus on some negative things in China. Rolf Timans, Head of the Unit on Human Rights and Democratization of the External Relations Committee of the European Commission, said although there are rooms for improvement, no one could deny that China has made substantial progress in human rights.
　　　　　
The delegation in meeting with Dr. Heinz Fischer, Vice President of the Austrian Parliament
　　　　　
At a visit to the German Institute for Human Rights

The delegation also learned about the hosts’ views on some human rights issues and trends in the international human rights studies. For instance, the European countries are very concerned with issues of protecting human rights in anti-terrorism, abolishing death penalty and illegal migration. Quite a few of the hosts mentioned that a focal point on their agenda is how to fight against terrorism while guaranteeing the human rights and they are worried that individuals’ human rights might be encroached upon in the name of anti-terrorism. They also expressed their disapproval about the brutal treatment of the Taliban prisoners of war at the US military base in Guantanamo, Cuba.

Taking advantage of the visit, the delegation gave briefings on what CSHRS has done as the most influential non-governmental human rights organizations in China over the past ten years since its founding. Many people in the host countries said the very fact that such an NGO of human rights is allowed to exist and make visits abroad is an indication of the progress of China’s human rights undertakings. They also spoke highly of the achievements CSHRS has made in the studies of Chinese and international human rights theories, concerns with human rights conditions in China and other countries, spreading knowledge of human rights and conducting international exchanges and dialogues on human rights issues in the past ten years.

The delegation reached agreement with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung of Germany on enhancing communication and expanding cooperation. The newly established German Institute for Human Rights, which has considerable impact in Germany, is also willing to have exchanges with CSHRS. An intent agreement was reached with the Renner Institute of the Austrian Social Democratic Party on cooperation in five aspects in the future, including exchanging mutual publications, inviting each other to international seminars each party sponsors, briefing each other on major measures each country takes concerning human rights, cooperating at international meetings and exchanging visits. The EU is also willing to establish work relations with CSHRS.