Ahead of EU summit, Merkel slams China for 'horrible human rights violation' in Hong Kong

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, on September 30, lambasted China for recent developments in Hong Kong highlighting “dreadful and often horrible human right issue.” However, she lauded the communist nation and President Xi Jinping’s promise to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060 and cap carbon dioxide emissions by 2030. China has become a major concern for all Europe with many countries expressing threat from the deteriorating relationship between Washington and Beijing.

"Looking at the development challenges for China, these targets really are ambitious and they should provide an inspiration for us in Europe as well, to live up to our promises," she said while addressing the German Parliament ahead of special European Summit.

However, the German leader made it clear that Germany will clearly express opinions different from China while working on environmental goals. “Of course, dialogue with China also means that we very clearly express our different opinions. After all, we have fundamentally different social systems - just look at the ways in which artificial intelligence is used in China," she said.

Merkel 'deeply concerned about Hong Kong'

In her address at the Bundestag, she also addressed the issue of Hong Kong saying that the German state was deeply concerned about all the developments in the city-state. Speaking further she said that Germans would not refrain form highlighting the human rights issue, just as they did not stop addressing the “horrible treatment” of minorities there.

"We have pointed out we are deeply concerned about the development in Hong Kong, where the 'one country, two systems' principle is being increasingly undermined. We are going to keep addressing that, just as we do on the dreadful and often horrible treatment of minority rights in China, she asserted.

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Last week, European Council President Charles Michel had said that Europe does not share the values on which the political and economic system in China is based. Michel said, as the president of the bloc, he has often been asked a question that in the new rivalry between the US and China which side the EU is on. His answer was, "EU is on the side of the fundamental values of democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and cooperation."

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With inputs from ANI