Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As the Senator noted, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, travelled to China last month to meet with his Chinese counterpart, Minister Wang Yi, on Sunday, 30 May. The meeting took place in the context of Ireland's membership of the UN Security Council and had an extensive agenda covering bilateral relations and EU-China relations, as well as issues on the agenda of the UN Security Council. As a permanent member of the Security Council and as a major partner for both Europe and Ireland at a bilateral level, engagement with China is necessary for progress to be made on a wide range of key issues.

In the context of Ireland's membership of the UN Security' Council, the Ministers, Mr. Wang Yi and Deputy Coveney, discussed a number of topics facing the council, including the situations in Syria, Ethiopia and Myanmar. We must engage with all members of the Security Council, especially permanent members, if we wish to see an effective response to these issues, and China is an important partner in this regard.

In terms of bilateral issues, the Minister, Deputy Coveney, again pressed the case of Mr. Richard O'Halloran with his Chinese counterpart with a view to achieving an early resolution of the matter. As I am sure Senator Mullen will understand, it would be inappropriate to comment further on the details of an ongoing consular case. Additionally, the Minister, Deputy Coveney, also discussed restoring access to the Chinese market for Irish beef.

EU-China relations were covered at length, with both Ministers expressing a wish to have stronger co-operation in areas of mutual interest. However, it was also recognised that there are several areas where Ireland and China disagree. The Minister, Deputy Coveney, outlined Ireland's position on the treatment of Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang and raised concerns at the introduction of the national security law in Hong Kong and the implications it has for the "one country, two systems" principle. Ireland has consistently made its voice known on these issues, both bilaterally and in multilateral fora. Indeed, we have supported a joint statement at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, outlining our grave concerns regarding the situation in Xinjiang and in Hong Kong.

On Taiwan, as the Senator already knows, in common with all EU member states, Ireland maintains a One China policy. Although Ireland does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, it is free to engage with Taiwan on an economic and cultural basis. To this end, we recognise the benefits, for all parties concerned, of a peaceful and stable situation across the Taiwan Strait.The Minister, Deputy Coveney, discussed the value of co-operation between the EU and China, and the need to develop a common approach on global issues, such as responding to the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change. Increasingly, problems that have a global impact demand a global response, and China remains an important partner in this regard.