Chinese ‘bullying’ will not work in Europe says ALDE chief

Source: Press release

Date: 27 November 2008

Graham Watson has hit out at what he calls “Communist bullying-tactics”, following the Chinese government's decision to cancel the EU-China Summit.

The Chinese authorities said they were pulling out because of a planned meeting between French president Nicolas Sarkozy, and the Dalai Lama.

"The People's Republic of China risks remaining on the wrong side of history. Communist bullying-tactics of this kind will not work in Europe,” warned Watson, the parliament’s ALDE group leader.

“The world hoped that the Beijing Olympics and China's growing economic maturity would be accompanied by a growing political maturity.”

“And the growth is clearly slower than we hoped. Thankfully, as my meetings this week in Taipei and Tokyo have shown, there are strong repositories of democratic openness and tolerance in Asia.”

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