Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Deputy Higgins prepared well for this one. I was responding to a Member of a party opposite in respect of comments made when I said what I said.

The speech, to which Deputy Higgins referred where he counted all the words very carefully, was made in the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham. It was to a group of representatives of over 350 Irish companies together with Chinese company counterparts and was strictly on the basis of business opportunities which will create jobs and economic growth in this country, with opportunities for Irish firms to export to China and also in respect of investment in this country. That contribution was strictly on trade, economic growth and opportunities.

I want Deputy Higgins to understand that I raised the question of human rights with the Chinese Vice-President, as did the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Gilmore. I was not contacted by Amnesty International. I heard its spokesperson on radio calling for individual issues to be raise. I did not raise individual issues with the Chinese Vice-President. I raised the question of human rights with him. I noted the comments on the improvement in the human rights position announced from Washington. I noted the comments that were announced following the EU-China high-level group in respect of human rights. I put forward the clear position that this country has always been a proponent of human rights around the world and, as President Clinton stated, is one of the few countries that can legitimately say that, since the United Nations was founded, it has personnel in some locations around the world dealing with underdevelopment, issues of social rights etc.

The Chinese Vice-President responded to my invitation to come here on his way back from Washington to deepen and strengthen the links between Ireland and China and to focus specifically on the question of opportunity for investment by China, both in Europe and in Ireland, and for investment and exports to China by Irish companies. Strengths in each location were identified. The Vice-President pointed out a range of locations in China where investment would be invited and a range of specific issues where he would like co-operation and investment from Ireland. Clearly, this leads to serious opportunities for business in our country and we will follow up on that.

This was not a meeting specifically about human rights, but both the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and myself, on behalf of the Government and the people, raised the issue directly with the Vice-President. He made the point in his response that no country has a perfect human rights record. That is understandable. I note the improvement, both in the economy of China where 200 million people have been taken out of poverty and in the progress that is made on human rights in general, and I support that.

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