BEIJING (XFN-ASIA) - French presidential candidate Segolene Royal said policy towards China cannot be 'delinked' from the issue of human rights, and urged Beijing on the second day of her visit here to accept international human rights standards.
Royal, the Socialist Party candidate who is seeking to become France's first-ever woman president, called for the 'protection' of Chinese lawyers and journalists involved in grassroots human rights activities as she toured Beijing's historic Forbidden City.
'The question of human rights should not be delinked from other problems,' Royal told journalists, adding that ties with China, an important market for French goods, should not mean 'losing our fundamental values.'
'On the question of jailed journalists and lawyers ... these professionals who have participated in defending rights should be protected. This is part of (China's) international commitments,' Royal said.
She also expressed hopes that Beijing would finally ratify the UN Convention on Civil and Political Rights, which it signed in the 1960s.
The three-day trip is Royal's second since winning her party's nomination to contest the French presidential elections.
The 53-year-old mother of four is currently the frontrunner to succeed President Jacques Chirac, according to polls.
Royal also noted the link between rights and China's environmental situation.
'It is necessary to link economic development, environmental protection and the development of social rights,' Royal added.
'When there is serious environmental degradation, when water is polluted and millions of people have no access to clean water, this is an attack on human rights.'
afp