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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 54 and 112 together.

Ireland, along with our EU partners, remains deeply concerned about the treatment of Uighurs and other ethnic minorities in the province of Xinjiang. We are closely following the situation, including on reports of systemic abuse, torture, arbitrary detention, forced labour, forced sterilisations and restrictions on freedom of religion and belief.

In response to the situation and under the EU global human rights sanctions regime, the EU adopted sanctions on 22 March 2021 against one entity and four individuals in China due to their involvement in human rights abuses in Xinjiang. The EU global human rights sanctions regime allows the EU to target serious human rights violations and abuses by state and non-state actors worldwide. It enables the EU to respond rapidly and in a more tangible and direct way to human rights, one of the fundamental values of EU foreign policy.

Ireland and the EU raise our concerns with Chinese authorities in both bilateral and multilateral contexts. Over the course of 2020, the EU raised its concerns regarding the human rights situation in China with Chinese authorities during its high-level engagements at the EU-China summit and the EU-China leaders' meeting. More recently, Ireland raised concerns regarding the situation in Xinjiang in our national statement at the UN Human Rights Council in March this year. Prior to this, we also reiterated our concerns in our national statement at the UN Human Rights Council in September last year, which urged China to allow unrestricted access to the region for the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Ireland has also supported a number of joint initiatives in the UN system. We joined a statement at the UN third committee on 6 October 2020 that reiterates our grave concern regarding the situation in Xinjiang, and recalls the exceptional letter of concern issued by 50 UN special procedures mandate holders. This letter called on China to respect human rights and to allow immediate, meaningful and unfettered access to Xinjiang for independent observers.

Ireland’s approach on the UN Security Council is informed by our record as a country with a consistent, principled and independent foreign policy. We put forward our perspectives on all issues on the UN Security Council agenda, and engage with and listen carefully to the views of all UN Security Council members, including China.

Although the treatment of Uighurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang is not on the UN Security Council agenda, the Government will continue to monitor and assess the situation and engage with the Chinese authorities bilaterally and in multilateral fora, as we have been doing to date.

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