Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I commend Senators McDowell, Mullen, Craughwell and their colleagues in the Independent Group on tabling this very important motion which I am very glad to fully support. I second the amendment on Tibet made my colleague, Senator Malcolm Byrne. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy, to the House and thank him for his contribution.

Taiwan's road to democracy began in the 1980s, culminating on 23 March 1996 when the people of Taiwan elected their first president by direct suffrage. With a population of almost 24 million, this democratic country with a western-friendly attitude and highly efficient and educated workforce proficient in speaking English must be recognised and listened to. The Irish Government needs to engage meaningfully with the government and people of Taiwan as other countries and the vast majority of the members of the European Union do.

Senator Martin referred to the attitude of the European Union to Taiwan. I will put on record the official stance of the European Union, of which we are a senior member, regarding Taiwan and the one-China policy. For the European Union, Taiwan is a reliable and valued like-minded partner in Asia. The European Union and Taiwan share common values, such as democracy, the rule of law and human rights. They are both committed to upholding multilateralism and the rules-based international order. The European Union and Taiwan share common objectives, such as tackling the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic as well as promoting stability, security and sustainable growth.

While the European Union pursues its one-China policy, the European Union and Taiwan have developed solid relations and close co-operation in a wide range of areas. Regular consultations between the European Union and Taiwan deal with issues of mutual interest, such as human rights, trade and economic issues, connectivity, innovation, digital issues, green energy, the circular economy, labour issues and disaster management.

The European Economic and Trade Office, which Senator McDowell mentioned, was established in 2003 as the EU office in Taiwan and is now comprised of three sections: the political, press and information section; the trade section; and the administration section. Another important point, which I ask the Minister of State to note and bring back to his colleagues in government, is that 17 member states of the European Union also have offices in Taipei.

In 1989, Ireland opened an institute for trade and investment. However, this office closed in 2012 as an austerity measure, we were told. Ten years on, that office has failed to reopen despite representations from all sides of this House and the Lower House. Why has that not happened? That begs another question. What is the real reason it was closed?

Taiwan was the European Union's 15th most important trading partner. The official stance of this State is that we recognise the one-China policy and we want to see one-China two-systems work out. That worked out very well for the people of Hong Kong. Are we going to sit back and let this democratic island of 24 million people be treated in a similar manner?

I pay tribute to the Taiwanese representative office in Dublin led by Pierre Yang and his colleagues for the Trojan work they do in trying to establish better economic and cultural links to this country. The onus is on us to facilitate them in doing that. I again thank the Independent Group for tabling this motion.