Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move:

“That Seanad Éireann:

notes:

- the hugely significant contribution of the Chinese people to the development of global culture and trade;

- the recent visit of Chinese Premier Li Qiang to Ireland;

- the increasingly authoritarian behaviour of the Chinese Communist Party and its oppression of minorities and repression of human rights;

supports:

- the desire for friendly relationships between the peoples of China and of Ireland and the European Union;

- the views expressed by the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs in May 2023 at the Royal Irish Academy, Dublin, on Ireland’s relationship with China and in particular, his call for China, like every other United Nations member, to adhere to its human rights obligation;

expresses concern at and opposition to:

- the continued detention of Jimmy Lai, a peaceful pro-democracy campaigner and publisher, who has been falsely imprisoned for three years under charges brought under the Chinese National Security Law, whose provisions are inconsistent with international human rights law;

- the reported use of coerced testimony in cases relating to the National Security Law;

- the repression of independent media and democratic activists in Hong Kong;

- the ongoing efforts of the Chinese Communist Party to destroy the culture of the people of Tibet and the abuse of the rights of Tibetans;

- the genocide being perpetuated in Xinjiang against the Uyghur and other groups;

- the repression of religious minorities, including Christians and the Falun Gong;

- the use of new technologies to engage in widescale surveillance of citizens and the development of a surveillance society;

notes with alarm:

- the growing tensions in the South China Sea and affirms the right of the people of Taiwan to live in peace and free from ongoing threat;

calls on the Government to:

- continue to use bilateral and multilateral channels, including through the European Union and the United Nations, to support the protection of human rights in China, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet, and of Chinese citizens internationally;

- actively support the release of journalists and pro-democracy activists unlawfully detained under the Chinese National Security Law;

- oppose the misuse of Artificial Intelligence or any emerging technology for any purpose that undermines human rights; and

- conduct an economic analysis of the ownership of assets in Ireland by companies linked to the Chinese Government and the potential impact of various foreseeable scenarios in the Taiwan Strait upon the Irish economy."

I propose to share time with Senator McGreehan.

To echo the points of the Cathaoirleach, I welcome the Tánaiste to the Chamber on this particular issue which is a very serious one. It is an opportunity for this House and, indeed, the Government to stress how human rights should always underpin Ireland's foreign policy and that we expect all members of the United Nations, regardless of size, to have respect for the dignity of the individual.

This motion stresses that this country has enormous respect for China and that we should always seek to build friendships and to co-operate, particularly in tackling some of the global challenges, including climate change. We should always look to promote cultural exchange in trade and, indeed, we should seek to promote greater understanding between the European Union and China. That said, we cannot and must not turn a blind eye to the evidence of continuing human rights abuses by Beijing and we need to continue to highlight values that are important to us and to other members of the European Union such as the rule of law, respect for minorities, due process and individual liberties.

The Tánaiste will be aware that China's human rights record was examined by the UN Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review working group in Geneva. I am particularly glad that Ireland played an active role in this discussion. Indeed, according to media reports, Ireland's ambassador, H.E. Mr. Noel White, stated that Ireland was "deeply concerned about the continued repression of civil society in China, including harassment of human rights defenders, restrictions on freedom of expression ... and the treatment of ethnic and religious groups, including in Xinjiang and Tibet." I strongly welcome the fact that Ireland is continuing to raise these issues at the United Nations and at European Union level as well as bilaterally.

It is important to acknowledge the Tánaiste's speech last May at the Royal Irish Academy. It was a significant speech. It set out clearly that we want to have constructive relations with China but that we will always stress the importance of human rights in our foreign policy and we will call out where the repression of human rights is taking place, and that includes in China.

I welcome the fact that, certainly, in the statements last week during the visit of Li Qiang, the Chinese Premier, to Ireland that the Tánaiste and the Taoiseach made, human rights were central to those discussions. This has not always featured in statements from the Department of Foreign Affairs in the past. Indeed, I would argue that sometimes human rights almost appeared as an afterthought. In recent times, however, it is clear that human rights is front and centre in terms of some of the discussions.

The fact that Irish beef exports to China are to resume is welcome. The right of Irish citizens to be able to visit China for up to 15 days without a visa is welcome. Exchange and the opportunity to see another country is something that is welcome. I have had the pleasure of visiting a number of cities in China. It is an amazing country. These are welcome measures but it is clear that China does not come to visit Ireland or other countries on a goodwill mission. There will be an expectation that there will be some level of reciprocity. It is important for the Government to be transparent as to any requests that were made on the part of Chinese Government during the visit to Ireland last week and if there were any reciprocal arrangements sought and, indeed, any promises that may be given on behalf of the Government here.

Last April, I had the privilege of welcoming Sebastien Lai to these Houses. I had the opportunity to briefly introduce him to the Tánaiste. Sebastien is the son of Jimmy Lai, the founder of newspaper Apple Dailyin Hong Kong. His is a story of somebody who went from rags to riches. He was a self-made businessman who cared passionately about people and cared passionately about Hong Kong, but he is currently being detained, as the Tánaiste will be aware, under China's national security law. This law has curtailed civil liberties and eroded judicial independence in Hong Kong. His arrest and ongoing detention is simply because he spoke out for democracy and for a free, fair and balanced press in Hong Kong.

I ask the Tánaiste, in his remarks this evening, to give a clear commitment that he will continue to raise this case and that of many others in Hong Kong who have been arrested, prosecuted or imprisoned by the Hong Kong Government for simply engaging in peaceful protest or, indeed, for expressing their international human rights. It is a case that the world is watching what is happening in Hong Kong. It was an amazing and great city but, clearly, we are seeing the deterioration of a once-great city and a lot of that is due to how the Chinese Communist Party is enforcing the national security law.

Indeed, while much of the world's focus may be on the ongoing horrors in the Middle East, we need to continue to also ensure that other conflicts and acts of repression and oppression around the world remain on the global agenda. That has been core to the work the Tánaiste has been doing. This, obviously, includes Russia's invasion of Ukraine and, indeed, Iran's ongoing campaign of repression and actions that are also happening in Africa, but at times we have not paid sufficient levels of attention to what has been happening in China.It is appalling how China has been treating some of its minorities. The treatment of the Uyghur people in Xinjiang and others in that province, and the repression of their culture, are not acceptable. When we are effectively seeing concentration camps being operated by the Chinese Communist Party and efforts to destroy a culture, that is something we cannot accept.

In this country, there has been a long appreciation of the Tibetan people and Tibetan culture. The way in which that very rich culture has been repressed and the Chinese Communist Party has sought to wipe out Tibetan culture continues to be of deep concern. I ask the Tánaiste, as our representatives have done in Geneva today, to continue to raise those concerns.

We know of ongoing attempts to crush minority religious beliefs. Various faiths have raised this concern. I value deeply the right of freedom of religion and expression and there are issues concerning how Christians are oppressed and members of Falun Gong have been treated. We have to ensure those issues remain very much on in the international agenda.

The motion also makes reference to Taiwan. It is crucial that we ensure there is respect for the right of the Taiwanese people to live in peace. I will not comment on some of the Taoiseach's remarks last week and I appreciate the difficulties that arise when we talk about the principle of the One China policy. We need to recognise that it is the right of the Taiwanese people to determine their future. We also need to recognise the contribution Taiwan has made on the global stage. Ireland should continue to develop positive relations with Taiwan.