(TibetanReview.net, Jun15’25) – Any raising of any human rights issue with China is bound to be thorny and so it especially was when the European Union questioned it on its unabashed interference in the process for the recognition of the reincarnation of the present Dalai Lama during the 40th edition of the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue in Brussels on Jun 13. The EU has also raised the disappearance since 1995 of Tibet’s second most prominent religious figure, the 11th Panchen Lama Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, according to the scmp.com Jun 14.
While expressing concerns about a “deterioration of fundamental freedoms” in China, the EU has cited “government interference” in the succession plan for the Dalai Lama, an ongoing crackdown in Hong Kong, and jailed Uygur and Tibetan activists as examples in its statement Jun 14 on the dialogue.
The EU has said “the selection of religious leaders should happen without government interference and in accordance with religious norms, including for the succession of the Dalai Lama”.
“The EU (also) called on China to provide transparent and reliable information on the enforced disappearance of the 11th Panchen Lama who is missing since 30 years,” the statement has said.
It is not clear how China specifically responded on the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama issues, although its dismissive, utterly implausible public remarks on them are all too well known. It is yet to issue its statement on the dialogue.
In its statement, the bloc has accused China of “persistent restrictions on freedom of expression, religion or belief, peaceful assembly, and the right to equality and non-discrimination”.
It has also called attention to an “erosion of the rule of law, due process rights violations and the lack of judicial independence” as well as the “use of forced labour and labour transfer programmes” which especially affects regions like Tibet and East Turkestan (Xinjiang).
The statement has said Beijing rejected the accusations, with its Ministry of Foreign Affairs introducing its own concept of human rights and pointing to problems in EU countries.
The EU-China human rights dialogue takes place on a near-annual basis. This year’s dialogue was preceded by a field trip to South Tyrol, a linguistically diverse autonomous region of Italy near the Austrian border.
The trip was aimed at showcasing “the protection of the rights of persons belonging to minorities and the preservation of cultural identity, including through multilingual education”, in what was a veiled effort to critique Beijing’s alleged persecution of minorities. The EU hoped to convince Beijing that force is not needed to maintain national unity.
Brussels has also raised the cases of dozens of people who have been detained, jailed or disappeared, in an effort to secure their release. These included the cases of multiple Tibetan activists and religious figures such as Go Sherab Gyatso, Tashi Dorje, Anya Sengra, Tsongon Tsering, Drugdra, Lobsang Khedrub and Lobsang Gephel, the report noted.
The EU-China human rights talks have not led to any improvement in Beijing’s record and human rights groups have long called for their discontinuation. New York-headquartered Human Rights Watch has “repeatedly criticised the box-ticking nature of the exercise, in which criticism behind closed doors yields no concrete improvements”.
The talks are one of several “dialogues” ahead of an EU-China summit on Jul 24 and 25.