(Clearwisdom.net)

15 Apr 2002

Dear Ms. xxx,

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Honorable Bill Graham, P.C., M.P., has asked me to respond to your letter of March 25, 2002, regarding human rights in China. I regret the delay in replying.

We remain concerned by on-going reports of the suppression of freedom of expression and spiritual practice in China, including the treatment of members of groups such as Falun Gong. Canada has raised concerns about the treatment of Falun Gong practitioners with the Chinese authorities on many occasions, and will continue to do so, both in Ottawa and in Beijing.

At the United Nations, Canada has consistently spoken out about the human rights situation in China in public statements at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and the United Nations General Assembly.

Prime Minister Chrétien intervened strongly on human rights during the Team Canada visit to China in February 2001 and he again raised Canadian human rights concerns during his visit to Shanghai in October 2001. In a recent meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan, the then Minister of Foreign Affairs and current Deputy Prime Minister, John Manley, raised continuing Canadian concerns about human rights in China, including the freedom of spiritual practice. Human rights were also raised during the December 2001 visit to China of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Our human rights dialogue with China facilitated the holding of an international symposium on human rights in March 1998 in Canada.

Additional Plurilateral symposia, co-hosted by Canada, China and Norway, were held in Qingdao, China, in July 1999, and recently in Bangkok in June 2000. The fourth meeting will took place in Jakarta this past March. Canada's international development assistance programs also promote the enhancement of civil society in China. There are several projects underway which focus on encouraging China to reform its legal and judicial systems by increasing the transparency of legal processes and assisting China, in very practical terms, in ambitious efforts to further entrench the concept of rule of law.

Please be assured that we will continue to make our views known to the Chinese authorities.

Sincerely yours,

John Morrison
Director