Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien raised human rights in China and the crackdown on the banned Falun Gong [group] during talks with Premier Zhu Rongji which began yesterday.

Following the talks, Mr Chretien said he discussed the [group], Tibet and general civil and political rights during the 90-minute talks.

"We had a very good meeting with the Prime Minister . . . and we were in a position to discuss many items, make representations and ask questions," Mr Chretien said.

[...]

Mr Chretien "raised those issues around human rights and civil and political rights as well . . . in an absolutely frank fashion," said Ujjal Dosangh, the Social Democrat Premier of Canada's British Columbia, who was present at the talks.

"If you say that the answers were completely satisfactory from the perspective of a Canadian labour activist, I would say no, but these things must be kept in perspective," he said.

The two leaders spent several minutes discussing human rights issues, he added.

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