International Committee of the Red Cross to Open Beijing Office

August 1, 2005

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Chinese government signed an agreement on July 20 that will permit an ICRC regional delegation office to open in Beijing, according to the ICRC Web site and a Xinhua report.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Chinese government signed an agreement on July 20 that will permit an ICRC regional delegation office to open in Beijing, according to the ICRC Web site and a Xinhua report. The Geneva-based ICRC provides medical aid and other supplies during emergencies, monitors and inspects prison conditions, and works with police, military forces, and others to promote humanitarian laws and policies. The Beijing office will cover China, Mongolia, and the Korean peninsula.

China's announcement that it would permit the establishment of an ICRC office was one area of progress that the U.S. government noted prior to the meeting of the UN Human Rights Commission in March 2005