Utrecht wants to cut ties with Guangdong, China after 27 years

The province of Utrecht wants to break its friendship relationship with the Chinese province of Guandong after 27 years. “China has committed serious human rights violations against the Uyghurs,” the province said in a proposal to cut the ties submitted to the Provincial Council, RTV Utrecht reports.

Utrecht said that the friendship relationship with Guandong has offered Utrecht organizations the opportunity to build ties with Chinese parties and resulted in good collaboration between schools. But Guandong is not just a province but part of China. And tension is rising between China and the West, specifically around human rights, corporate social responsibility, and internet security, the Dutch province argued.

“The purely economic and social effects of the bond of friendship are difficult to demonstrate and difficult to compare with other political values like democracy and human rights,” Utrecht said.

It is now up to the Provincial Council to decide whether or not Utrecht can cut ties with Guandong. According to RTV Utrecht, the Provincial Council rejected several motions and amendments on this topic in recent years.