Dáil debates

Wednesday, 13 July 2011

3:00 pm

Photo of Pádraig Mac LochlainnPádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)

The Minister will be aware that historically, one of the great concerns of human rights organisations has been the fact that, all too often, commerce was put ahead of human rights concerns, particularly in the case of Europe and the United States. In terms of population, only India can compare with China, which has around 1.4 billion people and is the second-largest economy in the world. It has an important role to play and will have, for God knows how many years to come. However, there are ongoing genuine concerns about human rights in that vast country, as well as about environmental legislation and the need for reciprocal trade agreements. The same rules that apply to China in Europe should apply to European investment in China.

One statistic here is remarkable. According to the European Council on Foreign Relations, China's total investment in Europe was around $1.3 billion five years ago; however, from October 2010 to March 2011, Chinese firms and banks committed $64 billion, which represents an immense increase in influence. One hopes this does not diminish our responsibility to uphold human rights and legitimately question any issues that arise with that country. It is important that we get the balance right.

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