As the European Union prepares to host the 40th round of its annual Human Rights Dialogue with China on 13 June, criticism from civil society organisations and human rights experts has intensified over the effectiveness of the process, with some now openly questioning whether it should continue at all in its current form.
This year marks two key anniversaries in the EU-China relationship: the 50th year since the establishment of bilateral ties, and four decades since the launch of the dialogue mechanism focused on human rights. Yet, according to critics, the most significant figure may be zero – the level of tangible impact the dialogues have had on the human rights situation in China.
In a formal submission to the EU on 15 May, Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged the European Union to reconsider the utility of continuing these annual meetings, citing a lack of measurable progress and Beijing’s sustained repression of fundamental freedoms. Hélène de Rengervé, Senior Advocate for Corporate Accountability at HRW, described the process as “box-ticking”, suggesting that confidential exchanges behind closed doors have failed to yield any substantial results.
Among the cases repeatedly raised by EU officials over the years are those of Gui Minhai and Ilham Tohti. Gui, a Swedish citizen and bookseller, remains imprisoned in China under opaque charges. Tohti, a Uyghur academic and recipient of the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize, has been serving a life sentence since 2014 and has not been granted family visits since 2017. Both cases have become emblematic of the EU’s limited influence in securing even basic rights for high-profile detainees.
The EU’s inability to secure progress on these issues has drawn attention to broader concerns over Beijing’s approach to civil liberties and minority rights. Under the leadership of Xi Jinping, the Chinese Communist Party has expanded its security apparatus and tightened its grip over regions such as Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong.
In 2022, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights released a report concluding that Chinese government actions in Xinjiang against Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslim populations may constitute “international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity.” Despite this finding, there has been no follow-up visit by UN officials, and calls for unrestricted access to Xinjiang have gone unheeded.
Yalkun Uluyol, China Researcher at Human Rights Watch, emphasised that continuing the dialogue without demanding accountability may inadvertently support Beijing’s narrative that its human rights record is an internal matter. “The EU’s current approach isolates human rights from wider strategic discussions, effectively sidelining the issue,” he said.
Observers note that the EU has made efforts to confront China on other fronts, including trade, economic security, and foreign interference. However, human rights are often relegated to lower-level, technical meetings rather than addressed within the broader strategic framework of EU-China relations.
HRW and other organisations are now calling for a shift in strategy. They argue that human rights should be integrated into all high-level engagements with Chinese officials. This would mean raising such concerns not only during human rights-specific meetings, but also at summits, trade negotiations, and security dialogues.
There is also growing pressure for the EU to introduce conditionality into its dealings with Beijing. This could take the form of diplomatic consequences or the suspension of certain dialogues should there be no demonstrable improvement in human rights practices. Some member states have reportedly expressed interest in this more assertive stance, but no formal policy shift has yet been announced.
The upcoming EU-China Strategic Dialogue and the annual leaders’ summit will be watched closely for signs that Brussels is prepared to adjust its approach. Campaigners believe that unless the EU raises the political cost for continued repression, the human rights dialogue risks becoming a ritual devoid of substance.
EU officials have thus far remained tight-lipped ahead of Friday’s meeting in Brussels. The Delegation of the European Union to China recently hosted a reception marking the 50th anniversary of EU-China relations, using the occasion to underline the importance of engagement. But critics argue that celebration without accountability undermines the EU’s credibility as a values-based actor on the world stage.
As the dialogue reaches its 40th round, the question for policymakers is whether it remains an instrument of influence, or whether it now serves only to give the appearance of concern without consequence. For many in civil society, the answer is increasingly clear: achieve genuine progress, or suspend the annual meeting.
