EU chief says wants 'positive' news soon on Tibet

BEIJING (AFP) — European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said Friday he wanted "positive developments soon" on Tibet after talks with China's premier, and voiced his opposition to any Olympic boycott.

Barroso, leading a large EU delegation here amid tension over China's rule in Tibet and the Beijing Olympics, said he reassured Premier Wen Jiabao that Europe considered the Himalayan region as part of Chinese territory.

Tibet was expected to be a major item on the agenda during the trip here, although the mission is also complicated by the desire of European businesses to strengthen ties with the Asian giant.

China's crackdown on unrest in Tibet and criticism of its rights record has sparked noisy protests that have disrupted the Olympic torch's round-the-world relay ahead of the August Games, infuriating Chinese authorities.

"We had an open and frank exchange on Tibet," Barroso told reporters about his talks with Wen.

"I have reiterated the EU position on this matter, and I am particularly encouraged by our exchanges about Tibet. I hope to see positive developments soon."

He said Europe supported China's territorial integrity and unity "and that naturally applies to Tibet," and deflected calls for a boycott of at least the opening ceremony of the Games.

"The Olympics must be a celebration of the youth of the world and it must be a success. That is why I'm against the boycott."

Friday's talks followed comments by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose country assumes the EU presidency in July, that he was "shocked" by the unrest in Tibet.

Sarkozy said Thursday he had not yet decided whether to attend the August 8 Olympic opening ceremony in Beijing, but would work toward a common European position among the bloc's 27 member countries.

Wen said he had briefed the EU chief on the situation in Tibet and China's stance on it.

The Chinese premier said earlier he had spoken with Barroso late Thursday and "consensus was reached on a lot of issues, laying a good basis for today's (Friday's) talks."

Observers said they did not expect China and the European Union would move any closer on Tibet issue, partly because Beijing insists it is an internal affair.

"I don't see the Chinese giving away very much on this issue," said Brian Bridges, an expert on Asia-EU relations at Hong Kong's Lingnan University.

"I don't think there's going to be great, big progress. I think they will agree to disagree."

Protests against Chinese rule over Tibet erupted in the Himalayan region's capital Lhasa last month, later spreading to other areas of China with Tibetan populations.

Exiled Tibetan leaders say the subsequent Chinese crackdown left more than 150 people dead. Beijing insists it acted with restraint, killing no one, and blames Tibetan "rioters" for the deaths of 20 people.

The EU visit here was planned some months ago and was due to discuss topics ranging from climate change to intellectual property rights.

Now, four months ahead of the Olympics, Barroso must attempt to please EU industry chiefs eager for business in China, and those who are clamouring for at least a symbolic protest against China's crackdown on Tibet.

China's own state media acknowledged shortly after Barroso's arrival that the China-EU relationship had "soured" over Tibet.

"The main purpose is to mend the fissure that has occurred in the Sino-EU relationship," Shen Jiru, a researcher at the major think tank Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Xinhua news agency.