Beijing visits Berlin
June 27, 2011
Germany's Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said Sunday he would raise concerns about human rights during a visit by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and members of his cabinet to Berlin.
Wen arrives in Germany on Monday evening, bringing to an end his three-stop visit to Europe, a trip aimed at strengthening trade links.
Westerwelle told the German Sunday newspaper Welt am Sonntag that the visit's potential benefits to German business would not deter Berlin from delivering a message on human rights.
"The quality and depth of our relations allows us to talk about difficult topics," Westerwelle said, adding that he would stress "how important freedom of expression, freedom of the media and respect for human rights are to us."
Among the issues Westerwelle said he would discuss were the conditions of dissident artist Ai Weiwei's release from prison on charges of alleged tax evasion.
Following his detention, which was criticized by numerous Western leaders, Ai has been told he cannot leave Beijing and is understood to be barred from media interviews.
"Despite the relief that Ai Weiwei is back with his family, the fact remains that his freedom is still marred by oppressive restrictions," said Westerwelle. The foreign minister added that he hoped Ai would be able to accept an invitation from Berlin's University of the Arts to take up a post as guest professor.
On Sunday, China also freed dissident civil rights and environmental activist Hu Jia, who was jailed on charges of subversion in 2008.
Trips wraps up in Germany
Premier Wen was set to arrive in Germany from Britain along with 13 ministers and a business delegation on Monday evening.
A working dinner with Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin is planned, followed by a joint cabinet meeting on Tuesday, when it is expected that trade deals between China and Germany will be announced.
On Sunday, Wen visited the English city of Birmingham - where China's largest car builder SAIC has a production plant - to launch the new MG6 model.
The visit, which attracted protests from human rights campaigners, came ahead of a Monday meeting scheduled with British Prime Minister David Cameron.
During the British leg of his visit, Wen stressed that China would support eurozone economies hit by a sovereign debt crisis - a message he was expected to repeat on his visit to Germany.
The visit to Europe is the second in nine months for Wen and included a visit to Hungary, where Wen announced that China would buy Hungarian government bonds.
Author: Richard Connor: (AFP, dpa)
Editor: Martin Kuebler