Hong Kong and Uyghur communities in Ireland urge govt to address Chinese transnational repression with Wang Yi

Members of the Hong Kong and Uyghur communities in Ireland have urged the government to bring up the issue of transnational persecution during their scheduled meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Dublin.

According to a report by The Irish Times, Wang, who is also a member of the Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo, attended the Munich Security Conference and spoke with top European leaders over the weekend before flying to Dublin to meet with Taoiseach Micheal Martin and Tanaiste Simon Harris.

“Demand concrete actions concerning acts of transnational repression, genocide, and politically motivated imprisonment perpetrated by the People’s Republic of China [PRC],” said a statement from organizations that represent Uyghurs and Hongkongers residing in Ireland as quoted by The Irish Times.

They stated that they wished to bring Chinese governmental surveillance and harassment of diaspora populations in Ireland to the attention of the government, The Irish Times reported.

“It is a matter of Ireland’s security as much as it is about the security of [the] person and freedoms of speech, of thought, of assembly being impeded on Irish soil when it comes to dissidents of the Chinese state. We do not feel we can openly exercise our right to protest, for fear of retribution by the regime to our family members back home or within Ireland itself, or to lose our chance to visit our homelands, if the Government’s failure to address clandestine activities by the PRC means that individual dissidents and their families could be identified and harassed by the Chinese state,” quoted a The Irish Times report.

They claimed that the European Union has acknowledged China’s use of transnational repression against members of the Tibetan, Taiwanese, Hongkonger, and Uyghur minorities, Irish Times reported.

“Just this past week, the Hong Kong authorities detained the aunt and uncle of an exiled Hongkonger activist for interrogation, to punish her for taking part in a community-wide, legal protest in London the previous Saturday,” the statement said, as quoted by The Irish Times.

According to the report, incidents such as these have caused a chilling impact on diasporic Hongkongers residing in Ireland and other countries. The European Hong Kong Diaspora Alliance, the Irish Uyghur Cultural Association, and Stand With Hong Kong released a statement urging the Taoiseach and Tanaiste to bring up issues of repression and human rights with Wang.

“Diplomatic ties and economic growth should be predicated upon a commitment to protect the security of residents in Ireland and to stand up for subjugated communities,” they said. “People in Ireland have a right to live free from fear,” as quoted by The Irish Times.

Wang is the second top-level Chinese political figure to visit Ireland in just over a year, following a trip by Premier Li Qiang in January 2024, The Irish Times reported.

“Ireland is China’s strategic partner for mutually beneficial cooperation. Over recent years, bilateral relations have enjoyed a sound growth momentum,” the Chinese foreign ministry said last week when announcing the visit, which is taking place at the request of the Chinese government.