European Parliament

Cecilia Malmstrom

Member of the European Parliament

His Excellency the Ambassador

Mission of China to the European Union

Avenue de Tervuren, 445

1150 Bruxelles

Fax: 02/772.37.45

Brussels, September 13, 2000

Your Excellency,

Mr. Wang has contacted my office today to arrange a meeting to discuss the exhibition on Falun Gong, which I am hosting in the European Parliament. I understand that the Chinese Mission wishes to express concern about the exhibition. I regret to tell you, however, that I will not be able to meet you this week, but I am of course open to dialogue at a later date. I can also inform you that the exhibition has been approved by the relevant parliamentary bodies.

The exhibition of Falun Gong aims to show Members of the European Parliament the truth about the crackdown on Falun Gong practitioners, currently pursued by the Chinese government. The systematic terror against Falun Gong constitutes a clear violation of basic human rights and is unacceptable. China's crackdown has also been repeatedly deplored by the European Parliament, international organizations and NGO's.

It is obvious that we do not share the same opinion about Falun Gong. I am going to continue working for Falun Gong practitioners' human right to practice their meditation without any interference from the Chinese authorities. The People's Republic of China has committed itself to respect the principles of freedom of belief, conscience and association, by ratifying the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In order to fulfill its international obligations, the Chinese government must immediately stop the violence and persecution against Falun Gong practitioners. A dialogue with representatives of Falun Gong should also be started, to discuss the future role of Falun Gong in the Chinese society.

Yours sincerely,

(Signature)

Cecilia Malmstrom MEP

European Parliament Rapporteur on Human Rights in the World