The Taoiseach pressed the Chinese Prime Minister, Mr Li Peng, for a resumption of a suspended European-Chinese dialogue on human rights when the two met in Rome last Friday, according to accounts of the meeting emerging in Beijing.
In a front-page report, the official China Daily claimed that on issues like human rights, Mr Bruton agreed with the Chinese Prime Minister that China and Europe should "respect each other and seek common ground, while reserving differences".
The Irish Ambassador to China, Mr Joe Hayes, said, however, that the Taoiseach conveyed to Mr Li "our well-founded concerns about the human rights situation in China", and that "he also raised with Mr Lithe European Union's wish to resume at an early date the dialogue on human rights with China".
Mr Bruton, in his first meeting with the Chinese leadership, spoke with Mr Li as leader of the EU presidency for some 30 minutes at the World Food Summit in Rome. Since early last year there have been three EU-China meetings at "expert-level" on human rights. The most recent was last January. At these meetings China outlined measures it was taking to improve its legal and court system and strengthen the rule of law.
A further meeting was to have been held in Europe possibly Dublin - during the Irish presidency, but the Chinese side reacted angrily to a resolution supported by the EU countries at the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva in April, condemning China for its human rights record. Beijing has declined to set a date for another meeting, refusing to accept the EU case that the UN resolution is a separate issue.
Mr Li said he hoped Ireland would play a vigorous role in promoting smooth relations between China and the EU, according to China Daily, Beijing's official English-language newspaper.
The paper said that on issues like human rights, Mr Li told Mr Bruton that China differed from EU countries in social system, ideology and economic development level, and that both sides "should respect each other and try to seek common ground while reserving differences". It added: "Bruton said he agreed with Li."
Mr Hayes said: "We, of course, accept that there are differences of perspective on human rights between China and the European Union, and we agree that in any balanced dialogue these differing views should be listened to and accommodated.
"The Taoiseach would, however, have made it clear to Mr Li that in our view there are universally accepted norms governing respect for, and vindication of, individual human rights and freedoms and that Ireland, in connection with its European partners, places a high priority on respect for these norms."
Mr Bruton did not raise individual human rights cases, as is normal in top-level meetings, on the grounds that it would be counterproductive. However, Mr Hayes recently made a "discreet demarche" on the instructions of the Government, raising with Chinese officials Irish concerns about the imprisonment of two leading Chinese dissidents, Mr Wang Dan and Mr Liu Xiaobo.
The People's Daily, the Chinese version of the official Communist Party newspaper, carried a similar report on the Rome meeting but omitted the words "human rights". It quoted Mr Li as saying that "we feel satisfied with the new development in Sino-Irish relations and increasing contacts at different levels".
The economic and trade co-operation between China and Ireland was strengthening, Mr Li said, but there was still great potential in bilateral economic cooperation. Ireland's experience in agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and water conservancy were among the areas important to Chinese development and both sides could further discuss means of co-operation.
Mr Bruton, according to the People's Daily, said Ireland wanted to participate actively in Chinese economic construction, and would take measures to increase exports of industrial products to the "fiercely competitive Chinese market.
The newspaper added that, while welcoming the EU's commitment to develop independent and comprehensive relations with China, Mr Li urged the EU through Mr Bruton "to abolish discriminatory trade policies against China".
Recently, China attacked a Brussels decision to open anti-dumping investigations against Chinese imports of shoes, bags and unbleached cloth. The Foreign Trade Minister, Mr Wu Yi, told a visiting French minister that the EU's anti-dumping action against China was "unwise". "Bilateral trade will be damaged if China withdraws from the EU market," he said.
The meeting between Mr Bruton and Mr Li comes at a time of intensive Western outreach to China. The US Secretary of State, Mr Warren Christopher, arrives in Beijing today for a meeting with President Jiang Zemin and Mr Li which could mark a turning point in strained Sino-US relations.
The Vice-President of the European Commission, Mr Leon Brittan, visited Beijing last week. He proposed an EU compromise whereby in return for membership of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Beijing would accept the most important obligations at the beginning, and others over a period of time. Ireland is leading the EU team at the WTO ministerial conference in Singapore in December.