Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I appreciate that he is taking this matter on behalf of the Department of Foreign Affairs. When he was Fianna Fáil spokesperson on foreign affairs, he very much upheld a strong tradition of speaking about the importance of human rights. In our relationship with any country, and indeed in our engagement with multilateral organisations, human rights should be at the core. I welcome recent statements in that regard, including that of the Minister, Deputy Coveney, in an interview with Finbarr Bermingham published in the South China Morning Post.In the interview, he stated that Ireland will soon be implementing EU foreign direct investment screening tools to protect critical assets. That is essential, particularly in light of the approach of the Chinese Communist Party and its deployment of technologies, including in certain aspects of cyberwarfare in which it has engaged. The Minister of State will be aware that the Minister had to intervene to ensure the closure of an illegal Chinese police station here in Dublin.

We are seeing more evidence of an increasingly authoritarian Chinese Communist Party and its abuses need to be called out. We are very much aware of the Uyghur genocide and the continuing sabre rattling against Taiwan. The Minister of State may have seen an interview published in the Business Post on Sunday with Caoilfhionn Gallagher, a Dublin-born barrister and friend of mine who is representing Jimmy Lai and a number of pro-democracy activists and those who defend freedom of the press in Hong Kong. They have faced threats and been told it is not safe for them to travel to Hong Kong. Jimmy Lai is currently in prison, serving a 13-month sentence simply for attending a protest on the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.

China is not a normal country. The rules applied to its citizens by the Chinese Communist Party are seriously questionable. In Tibet, the Chinese Communist Party, which is determined to exterminate Tibetan culture, is now gathering DNA samples from Tibetans, including children. That is not in circumstances where persons are accused or suspected of a crime; it is a routine gathering of DNA. This has been reported on by Human Rights Watch and other civil liberty organisations. I have serious concerns in respect of how China is deploying new technologies. In an era when we are seeing China using artificial intelligence and, in effect, monitoring all its citizens, how it will deploy that to the rest of the world represents a serious concern.

It is essential that we set out clearly Ireland's foreign policy in respect of China. Yes, there is a lot we respect about Chinese history and culture and we want to engage with Chinese people and look at education and trade opportunities but we cannot turn a blind eye to the increasing abuse of human rights by the Chinese Communist Party.When Lithuania took action, in particular by recognising Taipei, it was targeted by that country. We need to show solidarity with our EU neighbours, as they have shown us during discussions on Brexit and so on.

Ireland has always had a very proud foreign policy tradition of being involved in multilateral organisations and upholding human rights. In our engagement with China we need to set out clearly that those are the principles we wish to continue to follow.