Canadian Leader Says Talks With China Frank

Prime Minister Jean Chretien said Saturday he raised Canada’s concerns about human rights in China during private talks with visiting Premier Li Peng.

But Chretien said he is opposed to using trade sanctions to pressure China to improve its human rights record.

“We believe that the best way to improve the situation there is by not letting a country like China become too isolated,” he told business leaders.

Chretien said contact with foreign investors will accelerate the pace of political reforms that have lagged behind China’s rapid economic growth.

“They do things that we don’t like and they know that, but we don’t have to just run away,” he said.

“It will take time. Our task is to help them evolve in the right direction.”

Li arrived in Canada on Thursday. Human rights groups say Canada should have shunned Li because of his role in suppressing pro-democracy protesters at Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Anti-nuclear groups are protesting a possible sale of Canadian nuclear reactors to China.