Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 354: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he is in a position to assist with the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36551/06]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is aware of the case the Deputy has raised through reports in the media. I understand that Mr. Jia has now moved on from Hong Kong to Thailand, where he is seeking asylum from a third country. No such request has been made of Ireland.

Through the bi-annual EU-China Human Rights Dialogue, the most recent round of which was held in Beijing on 19 October, the EU, expressing its concern at the high number of human rights defenders, lawyers and journalists in prison, urged China not to harass or punish individuals exercising their right to freedom of expression in a peaceful manner. The Dialogue is the agreed formal framework through which the EU raises human rights issues and concerns with China. Equally, over a number of years, the EU has pressed the Chinese authorities to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which contains provisions on freedom of expression.

Ireland continues to raise its human rights concerns in its relations with China, where most recently the official visit to Ireland Chinese Vice-Premier Zeng Peiyan in September afforded an opportunity for the Tánaiste to convey our concerns to the Vice-Premier bilaterally. For my part, I took the opportunity to raise human rights issues and concerns, including the importance we attach to freedom of speech and religion, when I met with Chinese Foreign Minister, Mr. Li Zhaoxing, during a visit to Beijing in May.