Barry Ward (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----that if we do not stand up as respectable and consistent members of the international community, we diminish our power on the world stage. We are not a great military or industrial power so for us, that power is soft. It is exercised in the Security Council at the UN, in our embassy in Beijing and in contact between the Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, and Wang Yi and other ministers in the Chinese foreign affairs department. That is where we can actually make a difference. We are never going to invade China. We will never stop this with military, industry or trade might. That is not a reality. However, we do have other powers and they are the ones we need to use.