Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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73. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has made representations to the Chinese Government in relation to the ongoing attacks on democratic rights in Hong Kong which include the prosecution of opposition members of the Legislative Council, the banning of candidates in elections, prosecution of pro-democracy protesters and the preparation of repressive national security legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28027/18]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Government is closely following the political developments in Hong Kong, and I had an opportunity to discuss these issues directly with Chief Executive Carrie Lam during my visit to Hong Kong on 12 March. Ireland fully supports the 'One Country, Two Systems’ principle, which provides the basis for the high degree of autonomy which Hong Kong enjoys. The Basic Law provides the basis for the independent judiciary, rule of law, democratic separation of powers, and respect for fundamental rights and freedoms, which have been central to Hong Kong’s standing as an open society and an international business centre. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region: Annual Report 2017, which was submitted to the European Parliament and Council by HRVP Mogherini and the European Commission, reflected the EU’s position that despite a number of challenges, judicial independence and respect for the rule of law have overall been maintained in Hong Kong. The EU has nevertheless issued statements expressing concerns about developments in Hong Kong on a number of occasions through local or spokesperson's statements, including on the decision to bar Agnes Chow from running for a Legislative Council by-election in January 2018.

Along with our EU partners, Ireland fully supports the upholding of the framework of the Basic Law and the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ principle and will continue to call for its full implementation. We will continue to stress the importance of delivering electoral reform in a manner that is democratic, fair, open and transparent.