Following on from Church in Chains’ presentation of a petition to the Chinese Embassy in May calling for an end to the repression of Christians in China and for the release of Chinese pastors, Barry Ward TD tabled two questions in the Dáil on the topic to Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris.

In the first question, Deputy Ward (Fine Gael TD for Dun Laoghaire) asked if any representations had been made directly to the Chinese Government in relation to the Christians in China or more generally regarding freedom of religion in China.

In a written reply on 10 June, Simon Harris avoided directly answering the question and did not state that the government had made any representations to the Chinese government. He did state, “Ireland strongly condemns all forms of persecution on the basis of religion or belief, irrespective of where they occur or who the victims are, which includes where Christians face persecution for exercising the right to practice their faith. 

 “Ireland regularly discusses human rights concerns with the Chinese authorities in bilateral meetings and in the appropriate multilateral fora, including with regard to the right to freedom of religious belief and freedom of expression. Both the Taoiseach and I raised our long-held concerns in relation to human rights in China with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his visit to Ireland in February this year.”

Individual Cases

Barry Ward’s second question asked if the Irish government had raised the following cases with the Chinese government:

(a) Pastor Wang Yi of Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu who is serving a nine-year prison sentence

(b) Pastor Hao Zhiwei of Egangqiao Church in Ezhou city, Hubei province, who is serving an eight–year prison sentence

(c) Bishop Augustine Cui Tai (75) who has been in detention “almost non-stop” since 2007, in various secret detention centres and isolated from his family and church community.

Once again Simon Harris avoided a direct answer, repeating that “the Government regularly raises concerns regarding human rights with China, both in bilateral meetings as well as in the appropriate international fora. I raised Ireland’s long-held concerns about these matters when I met with Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his visit to Dublin in February.”

The Minister did state “The case of Pastor Wang Yi was raised at the 39th EU-China Human Rights Dialogue in June 2024, when the EU delegation called for the release of a number of individuals deprived of their liberty for exercising their right of the freedom of religion or belief.

“The case of Pastor Wang Yi has also been consistently mentioned in EU statements at the UN Human Rights Council, supported by Ireland and all Member States, including at the most recent session of the Council in March 2025.“