Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. I appreciate some of the concerns are being raised, but frankly I do not feel we are going far enough. Let us imagine, for instance, the outcry if the British Government decided to open a police station on Capel Street. Yet, the Chinese authorities seem to be able to do this. This is part of its extraterritorial reach around the world.

We talk about reports from the United Nations on crimes against humanity, yet we are not taking a strong enough line on what is happening. We must set out very clearly that we need solidarity with our EU partners, and I welcome that critical assets are being protected. At a global level, we need to ensure there are very clear rules in place around ethical behaviour when it comes to the deployment of new technologies. We also need to ensure that Ireland continues to call out the human rights abuses in Xinjiang against the Uyghur people, the people of Tibet and Hong Kong and Falun Dafa, Christian and other minorities. I respect the position of the Minister of State but I do not believe the Government or European Union is taking a strong enough position.