BERLIN • German Chancellor Angela Merkel has accused China of "poor and cruel treatment" of minorities and underlined deep concerns over the crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong.
In a speech yesterday at the Bundestag, a day before a European Union summit, Dr Merkel vowed to bring up issues of rights and Germany's worries over the situation in the former British colony in any future dialogue with Beijing.
Beijing has been under fire from the United States and Britain over a national security law it imposed on Hong Kong on June 30 that punishes anything China considers as subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces, with up to life in prison.
"Of course we have to bring up our different opinions in talks," said Dr Merkel, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU. "That's why we have flagged up our deep concern about the development in Hong Kong. The principle of 'one country, two systems' stands, but again and again it's being undermined.
"We will bring that up, as well as the poor and cruel treatment in part of the rights of the minorities in China."
She did not name the minorities, but activists have accused China of the mass internment of Muslim Uighurs in Xinjiang and have repeatedly urged Germany to give them more support.
During Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to Berlin last month, demonstrators, including Hong Kong dissident Nathan Law, protested outside the German Foreign Ministry, demanding more action.
However, with China a key market for Germany's exporters, Berlin has sought to maintain strong ties with the Asian giant.
Still, the German government is said to be planning tougher oversight of telecommunications network vendors that - while stopping short of a ban on Huawei - will make it harder for the Chinese telecoms giant to keep a foothold in Europe's largest market.
Three coalition and government sources said yesterday that an agreement had been reached in principle to extend scrutiny of a vendor's governance and technology to radio access networks powering next-generation 5G services.
The Handelsblatt daily reported earlier that after two years of wrangling, Dr Merkel's coalition had agreed on a formula for how to handle so-called high-risk vendors in a proposed information technology security law.
Dr Merkel's spokesman, Mr Steffen Seibert, declined to comment on the Handelsblatt story, telling a government news conference that the same security standards would apply to all vendors.
The interior and economy ministries, both run by Merkel allies, said discussions on the legislation were continuing.
European governments have been reviewing Huawei's role in the building of their networks following pressure from the US, which says it poses a security threat.
EU leaders will today call for an economic rebalancing with China and greater reciprocity between the two sides, part of a rethink by Brussels over how to engage with the world's second-largest economy.
EU leaders will also reiterate at a summit in Brussels the goal of finalising by the end of this year negotiations for an "ambitious" EU-China Comprehensive Investment Agreement.
The agreement aims to be one that addresses "current asymmetries in market access, ensures a level playing field, and establishes meaningful commitments on sustainable development", according to a draft of a joint communique seen by Bloomberg that is subject to change.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS, BLOOMBERG
