TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Chinese Embassy in Ireland complained to Ireland’s parliament, the Oireachtas, after a delegation of Irish senators arrived in Taiwan on Sunday (July 14)
Taiwan’s Ministry of Affairs (MOFA) welcomed five lawmakers from Ireland’s Seanad Eireann, the upper house of the legislature, to Taiwan to discuss areas of mutual interest and cooperation, and to visit sites in Taipei and Yilan. On Wednesday (July 17), the Irish Times reported that China’s Ambassador to Ireland He Xiangdong (何向東) called the Oireachtas’ Interparliamentary Office to protest the visit.
The Seanad delegation is made up of members from Ireland’s two major parties and two independent lawmakers. The members include Diarmuid Wilson, Gerard Craughwell, Gerry Horkan, Sharon Keogan, and Garret Ahearn, according to a MOFA press release.
Wilson, who is leading the delegation, is the vice chair of the Foreign Affairs and Trade Committee in the legislature. He is also the whip of the Fianna Fail party, the largest party represented in the 60-seat Seanad Eireann, and has led delegations from Ireland to Taiwan on two previous trips.
A statement from China’s ambassador on the delegation’s visit said that “visiting Taiwan as a member of the Irish parliament, claiming Taiwan as a ‘country,’ meeting with Taiwan political figures and separatists seeking ‘Taiwan independence,’ are in clear violation of the Irish government’s one China policy,” reported the Irish Times.
The Interparliamentary Office of the Oireachtas was not involved in organizing the trip, according to the Irish Times. CNA reported that the senators’ visit was supported by the Taiwan-Ireland Inter-Parliamentary Amity Association, which was founded in 2023 to foster closer ties between Taipei and Dublin.
In response to the complaint from China, Senator Horkan said that he wants Ireland to have good relations with both China and Taiwan. He added, “We understand the one China policy and are happy to comply with it.”
While in Taiwan, the Irish senators hope to better understand the cross-strait situation and further bilateral cooperation between the two countries. During their visit, they visited MOFA, the Legislative Yuan, Taipei 101, and toured housing developments in New Taipei. The group also took time to visit hot springs in Jiaoxi, Yilan, per CNA.
