(TibetanReview.net, Jul25’25) – Although not the main item on the agenda, the European Union (EU) has on Jul 24 strongly raised its concerns on the human rights abuses in Tibet, including religious repression and political interference in the Dalai Lama reincarnation-succession, reported ANI news service Jul 25. The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) at Dharamshala, India, has welcomed the EU’s stance and urged concrete action to hold China accountable.
The occasion was the 25th EU-China Summit, which was held in Beijing, and which also commemorated the 50th year of EU-China diplomatic ties.
The report said those who took part in the meeting included the European Council President Antonio Costa, the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the EU High Representative Kaja Kallas, and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Premier Li Qiang was stated to have co-chaired the summit.
On the globally raging issue of the Dalai Lama reincarnation-succession issue, the EU underscored that this spiritual process must be determined solely by Tibetan Buddhist traditions, free from political manipulation, the report said.
The EU has also highlighted the repression of Tibetan human rights defenders and the widespread curtailment of freedoms of expression, religion, and movement across Tibet.
Specific individual cases involving detained or disappeared Tibetan figures were also stated to have been raised, reinforcing the EU’s position that such violations must cease, the report noted.
The CTA Representative Rigzin Genkhang at the Office of Tibet in Brussels has welcomed the attention the Tibet issue has received at the summit. “This acknowledgement is important, but we must now push for concrete benchmarks to ensure accountability.”
She has called on the EU leaders to transform their statements on the issue of Tibet into sustained policy actions.
China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun has on Jul 25 said leaders of the two sides had long, in-depth and candid talks, and exchanged views on strategic issues concerning bilateral relations, specific issues in China-EU cooperation, and international hotspots of mutual concern.
But as in any bilateral relations, differences do exist between China and the EU, Guo has said, referring to economic and trade issues as well as over EU’s opposition to China’s support for Russia in its ongoing was against Ukraine, but not on issues like human rights and Tibet.
Neither is it clear how China responded to the EU’s r\raising of concerns on the situation in Tibet and the Dalai Lama reincarnation issue.