Human rights | Merkel meets activists in Beijing after Xi talks

German Chancellor Angela Merkel met with nine human rights activists and political dissidents during her trip to China, risking the ire of her hosts even as she seeks to cement economic and trade ties with the world’s second-biggest economy.
Merkel met a group of human rights lawyers, writers and bloggers at the German Embassy in Beijing on Thursday evening, a government official said on the condition of anonymity because the meetings were private. The activists told Merkel that the human-rights situation in China had worsened since President Xi Jinping came to power in November 2012, the official said.
Merkel is on a two-day visit to China that’s focused on cementing trade ties during which she met Xi. Merkel’s decision to meet the activists contrasts to the approach taken by UK Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, who during a September visit to China, signaled Britain would refrain from criticism on human rights and not engage in “megaphone diplomacy.”
The UK is rebuilding ties with China after Prime Minister David Cameron’s 2012 meeting with the Dalai Lama triggered a diplomatic freeze. Cameron hosted Xi for a state visit this month, when he addressed the House of Commons and lodged at Buckingham Palace. He announced more than 30 billion pounds (USD46 billion) of investment deals during his stay.
Under Xi, China has carried out a nationwide crackdown on dissent and targeted dozens of human rights activists for arrest and harassment, Amnesty International said in July. The same month China’s parliament passed a sweeping national security law vowing to “defend the people’s democratic dictatorship” and preserve “social tranquility.” Bloomberg