BRUSSELS: The European Union on Tuesday geared up to agree a major investment deal with China, despite warnings from lawmakers over Beijing’s record on civil and labour rights.
An EU official said the bloc had got China to commit to efforts to ratify the International Labour Organization’s conventions on forced labourEuropean legislators lashed out at an agreement that they said was being rushed through by leading economic power Germany, before its rotating EU presidency ends at the end of the year.
“Under these circumstances, any Chinese signature on human rights is not worth the paper it is written on.” Outgoing US leader Donald Trump has engaged in a trade war with China but his successor has also expressed concern about the EU outreach, with his team urging Brussels to consult with Washington.–The bloc says the deal helps rectify what it sees as the long-standing imbalance in the way Brussels and Beijing treat investors and the access they allow them.