The world's biggest human rights body has said the Government, which is currently leading its largest ever trade mission in China, has a responsibility to express the outrage of Irish people about human rights violations in that country.
Amnesty International said the Chinese government must be called to publicly account for its poor record on human rights.
Mr O Cuanachain, Amnesty International Ireland secretary general
The organisation said the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, should use Ireland's trade mission to the Far East to highlight abuses rather than leave them behind closed doors.
Mr Colm O Cuanachain, Amnesty International Ireland secretary general, said the Taoiseach had to treat the trip as a golden opportunity to effect positive change on people's lives.
"The Irish Government has a responsibility to express the outrage of Irish people about human rights violations in China," he said. "These concerns cannot just be handled privately as an agenda item at ministerial meetings, but must be raised as a public matter by the Taoiseach."
Mr Ahern spent today with leading Chinese politicians, including the country's premier Mr Wen Jiabao, ahead of a hectic week of talks as part of Ireland's biggest ever overseas trade mission. He told business people and students that Ireland's 1999 Asia Strategy, which pushed for closer economic and diplomatic ties with China, would be strengthened following the trip.
It is understood a number of companies could tie up significant deals, one including the Kerry Group, while Shannon Developments have been tipped to attract investment.
However, Amnesty claimed hundreds of thousands of people in areas of China earmarked for industrial development were uprooted and moved from their homes, jobs and schools, without reparations or support.
The human rights group also said community leaders who spoke out in defence of the displaced were thrown behind bars, sent to re-education camps, tortured and even killed.
Mr O Cuanachain highlighted a number of human rights abuses including mass executions and health care abuses for those with HIV/Aids in Henan, and housing taken over for Olympic construction projects in Beijing.
He claimed that improving human rights would be good for business, and business would be good for human rights.
"In so many ways the Chinese leadership is destabilising the social and civic balance that is essential if the economy and business is to thrive," he said.
"Where the business community pay attention to the rights of their employees, the communities in which they locate and their customers, they can play a positive role.
"We know that Irish shareholders will not thank companies that fail to take human rights seriously."
"To assume an open market, foreign investment and preferential trading will automatically improve the lot of the Chinese is to ignore what is happening across the country, Mr O Cuanachain added.
PA