China

Gauck’s difficult Mission

Federal President Joachim Gauck will travel on Saturday to China. It is a country of upheavals, the increasing Repression and the degradation of the rights of freedom expected.

“The people’s Republic of China is a country of political hardness, of the radical change, of the Repression against critics”, summarises Björn Conrad, the next destination of the Federal President. He is Deputy research Director of the China-think-tank “Merics” in Berlin and expects that during the five-day visit of Federal President Gauck, the “differences in civil society in the strongest possible light.”

It is the first official Visit of a German head of state for nearly ten years. Horst Köhler in 2007 was the last state visit to China. On several occasions, Joachim Gauck was invited to the middle Kingdom. Now he comes with a Mission. Circles of the Federal presidential office said that Gauck will significantly address shortcomings in the area of civil rights and the environment, in his talks with the President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Keqiang.

Federal President Gauck wants to appeal in Beijing clearly deficits of citizens ‘ rights and the environment

Civil society and citizens ‘ rights

On the edge of the China visit, Gauck will – together with his partner Daniela Schadt – the well-known culture of China to visit sites such as the Imperial Palace in the capital city of Beijing and the terracotta army in the Western Chinese city of Xian. But especially important is the political dialogue, he said. China is, in fact, for Germany a strategic Partner and the largest trading partner in Asia.

The former pastor and civil rights activist from the socialist GDR will meet with artists and writers as representatives of the civil society. On the program, and an Easter service in the St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral in Xian, which was built in 1716 by the Franciscan order. In the cultural revolution, the house of God, in 1966, was closed and could only open again in 1980. It is believed that Gauck will address the oppression and imprisonment of Christians in the people’s Republic and religious freedom will demand.

According to information from the China Institute’s “Merics” ‘ll Gauck handed over a list of persecuted dissidents, human rights activists, journalists and lawyers to the Chinese government. But these critical issues, explain the “Merics”experts, subject to the Motto: “openness behind closed doors”.

(Archive) A Catholic in Shanghai

“Freedom of speech” is expected

The preparation of the visit seemed not to have been quite simple. Some of the program points have been disputed and the Chinese side seems to be tricky, reported Merics. But it was said that both presidents understand well personally, although Federal President Gauck Xi Jinping had found during the visit to Germany by China’s President in March 2014, significant critical words. At the time, he called for progress in the rule of law and recalled the indivisibility of human rights.

For Gauck personally important date and a speech in front of around 1000 students of the Tongji-University in Shanghai next Wednesday. Tongji University was founded in 1907 by the German doctor Erich Paulun, first as “German medical school for Chinese in Shanghai”. Today a lighthouse is Tongji German-Chinese science cooperation. The former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl is honorary Professor, former Chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, honorary doctorate.

Perhaps Gauck will criticize in his speech, the limited freedom of the press in China, and perhaps also the controversial draft law for dealing with foreign Non-government organizations. The verschäfte law would, as planned, would have restricted the work of foreign foundations considerably. You would have to state control. By law, all German political foundations and the Goethe-Institut would be affected.

“The achievements of Chinese socialism”

Agree, both countries are in a: in 2016, should be exchange the year of the development of the Student. To be decided unanimously and officially.

The German doctor Erich Paulun founded in 1907, Tongji University

China’s leadership will show, German Federal President Gauck, the progress in the most populous country, as “the achievement of socialism with Chinese characteristics”. An “instruction” for the former GDR civil rights activist, as it is called, the Merics experts. Will show Gauck probably a little impressed, because he has made his own experiences with the socialism of the GDR.