Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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Question 112: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will raise with the Chinese President the issue of human rights in relation to all persecuted groups in China; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16073/12]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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As I have stated previously, human rights are, and have always been, a priority of successive Irish Governments and a key plank of our foreign policy. Through the formal framework of the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue, which was established in 1995, the EU continues to share with China its experience in the field of human rights protection and promotion, and to urge China to take clear steps to improve the human rights situation.

Human rights are a constant and important issue of dialogue and discussion with the Chinese Authorities, at both national and European Union level. In the course of the recent visit of the H.E. Xi Jinping the Vice-President of the People's Republic of China, the issue of human rights was raised at a variety of levels, including directly between the Taoiseach, myself and Vice President Xi. I will be visiting China in 2012 and officials on both sides are working closely on identifying dates and these have not yet been established.