Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We work with the Chinese ambassador on many things. For example, when Ireland needed to source PPE recently, the ambassador was extraordinarily helpful. He helped to facilitate the arrangements that allowed us to deal with a very serious public health issue. We also deal with the ambassador with regard to important consular cases all the time.

I raised with him in a frank way the issue the Deputies raise. He has a very different perspective. The Chinese Government's view, which one would expect him to reflect, regards this as a law that criminalises acts of secession, subversion of state power, terrorist activity and collusion with foreign or external forces to endanger national security. That is the way the Chinese Government sees this issue. We see it differently and are expressing concern very directly about a "one country, two systems" approach which has been applied to Hong Kong and which, in our view, needs to be protected. That was the nature of the conversation but, as one would expect an ambassador to do, the Chinese ambassador outlined in a very direct and helpful way the Chinese perspective on this issue and the Chinese Government's view on it. He provided me with some written information in that regard as a briefing. We have nevertheless expressed concern. My statements on this have been very clear, and we are speaking to EU colleagues about the issue.

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