Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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261. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will raise concerns with the Chinese authorities following the recent arrest of a person (details supplied) in Hong Kong under national security laws; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25548/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I am aware that Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, who is 90 years old, was among a group of four people arrested separately and detained by the Hong Kong National Security Police for alleged conspiracy to collude with foreign powers. All four of those arrested served as trustees of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, which provided legal assistance, funds for psychological counselling and medical treatment, and emergency relief to protesters during the 2019 unrest in Hong Kong.

On 11 May, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, expressed his great concern at the arrests. I share his concern. The arrests are the latest in a series of actions under the National Security Law that impinge upon fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong. During my visit to China in May 2021, I raised Ireland’s concerns in relation to the National Security Law directly with Foreign Minister and State Counsellor Wang Yi.

Prior to that, in line with EU Council Conclusions of July 2020, the Government suspended Ireland’s Extradition Agreement with Hong Kong. This clearly signals Ireland’s concerns in relation to the rule of law in Hong Kong. Our Consulate General in Hong Kong continues to actively monitor the situation in relation to these arrests, the detention of other activists in Hong Kong, and the broader impacts of the National Security Law.

Ireland will continue to raise concerns directly with China and to address these issues in the appropriate multilateral fora. In March this year, Ireland joined an EU Statement at the 49th session of the Human Rights Council which urged the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities to restore full respect for the rule of law, human rights and democratic principles.

In addition, we also called for the authorities to observe the independence of the judiciary and to preserve Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy under the “One Country, Two Systems’ principles”, in compliance with Hong Kong’s Basic Law and China’s domestic and international commitments.

These concerns were also raised at the UN Third Committee on Human Rights in October 2021. In February this year, Ireland also joined a Media Freedom Coalition statement expressing our deep concern regarding attacks on freedom of the press and the suppression of independent local media in Hong Kong.

The protection and promotion of human rights is a core pillar of Ireland's foreign policy, and Ireland will continue to monitor and assess the situation and, along with our EU partners, engage with Chinese authorities bilaterally and in appropriate multilateral fora to address our concerns.