Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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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.

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Senator Byrne for raising this important matter. This agenda item is timely following discussions at the Foreign Affairs Council and European Council in October on the EU's strategic engagement with China. Those discussions, attended by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Simon Coveney, and the Taoiseach, took place against the backdrop of the re-election of President Xi to a third term as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party.

Ireland, together with other member states, reaffirmed our support for established EU policies on China. This includes seeking co-operation and partnership with China, where it is possible, in areas such as climate change, global health and regional security issues, including the threat of nuclear activity posed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. This Government believes it remains important that we engage with China on these issues.

Ireland has welcomed the ongoing focus in the EU on economic resilience and security. Collectively, the EU has agreed to continue a broad range of measures to reduce our vulnerabilities in all aspects, from raw materials supply to countering coercive behaviour and protecting against hybrid threats. The Minister for Foreign Affairs underlined that this approach must go side by side with promoting our values and protecting the international rules-based order.

Foreign affairs ministers also agreed that Ukraine will continue to be a priority in our interactions with China. Ireland and the EU have a clear focus on China's responsibilities in upholding the rules-based multilateral order. Ireland used our recent high-level bilateral contact to impress this message on China.

Senior officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs met their counterparts twice in recent months, and held constructive discussions where our views on Ukraine, reducing tensions in the Taiwan Strait and human rights in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, in particular, were highlighted. Human rights is a cornerstone of Irish foreign policy. Ireland welcomed publication in August of the assessment on human rights concerns in Xinjiang by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The report found that several human rights abuses in Xinjiang, including the use of forced labour, may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity. This is a serious and significant finding by a leading UN body.

Senior officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs raised the findings of this report with Chinese counterparts on 1 and 22 September. On those occasions, they outlined Ireland's long-held position on the matter, emphasised that the report contains a number of very serious findings and urged China to give serious consideration to the assessment and the recommendations proposed by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

As concrete follow-up, Ireland co-sponsored a resolution in October calling for a debate on the situation at the Human Rights Council. There was not a majority in favour of this resolution and we regret we will not have the opportunity to discuss the matter at the next session of the Human Rights Council in March. The council must fulfil its role in promoting respect for human rights for all, without distinction of any kind. Ireland will continue to raise our concerns with the Chinese authorities in our bilateral contacts, through our EU engagement and at the United Nations, through national and joint statements.

Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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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.

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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Any relationship with a country as large as China has many strands and our relationship covers political, economic, cultural and people-to-people links. We have never held back from criticising human rights abuses where they have occurred. It is also the case that we seek to ensure Ireland's values and interests are promoted and protected within the bilateral and EU relationships with China. This will continue to be the approach of the Government.

The visit of the Minister for Foreign Affairs to China in May 2021 was one of the few in-person high-level political visits from an EU member state to China in the past three years. The Minister raised the issues I outlined in my initial reply. From the recent visit of Chancellor Scholz to China and President Biden's meeting with President Xi this week, we saw that it is possible to discuss China's global responsibilities in the context of dialogue. Alongside this, we will also continue to work with our partners in the EU to reinforce our economic security and resilience, reduce vulnerabilities and protect the rules-based international order.

Regarding what has been described as an overseas police station, we appreciate that there has been considerable interest in this so-called police station. When the issue arose immediate cross-government action was taken to clarify and resolve the matter. On 5 October, the Department of Foreign Affairs informed the Embassy of China that the office on Capel Street should close and cease operations. The Chinese Embassy has stated that the activities of the office have ceased. We are aware of the report of Safeguard Defenders highlighting human rights concerns related to the operation of these offices in other countries. The Government upholds human rights standards for all residents in Ireland and any evidence of violation will be considered by the relevant authorities.