When Ireland established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China in 1979, the Irish Government recognised the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal Government of China. The Chinese position at that time was and still is that China included Tibet.
In relation to Tibet, a central concern of Government policy has been and remains the respect for and protection of the human rights of Tibetans. In this context, I raised the Tibetan situation with the Chinese Vice Premier and Foreign Minister, Qian Qichen, during our discussions on 6 October on the occasion of his visit to Ireland. I referred to the strength of public opinion in Ireland and other EU countries about the situation there and raised a number of important points of concern.
At the UN Commission on Human Rights this year, Ireland, together with our EU partners, co-sponsored a draft resolution on the situation of human rights in China, which indicated concern at "the inadequate protection of the distinct cultural, ethinc, linguistic and religious identity of Tibetans and others". In the event this draft resolution was defeated by the narrowest of margins.
Through diplomatic channels we have also raised the question of the effect of population transfer of Han Chinese to Tibet with the Chinese authorities. The Government will continue to monitor closely the situation in Tibet and do what we can to ensure that the human rights of Tibetans are respected.
