Micheál Martin’s official visit will be the first by a sitting Taoiseach since Enda Kenny’s in 2012
– Taoiseach Micheál Martin arrives in Beijing on Sunday for an official visit to China that will also take him to Shanghai and include meetings with the top three figures in the Communist Party leadership.
– In Beijing on Monday and Tuesday, Mr Martin will meet president Xi Jinping, premier Li Qiang and National People’s Congress (NPC) chairman Zhao Leji.
– “I look forward to engaging with President Xi, Premier Li and Chairman Zhao of the National People’s Congress,” the Taoiseach said ahead of the visit.
– “In addition to discussing the broad relationship between Ireland and China, we will exchange views on pressing global challenges including peace and security and the trading environment. I will stress the importance of a strong EU-China relationship, as well as robust and effective multilateral institutions.”
– China’s foreign ministry said it hoped the Taoiseach’s visit would promote the “sound and steady” advancement of China-EU relations.
– “In recent years, the China-Ireland strategic partnership for mutually beneficial co-operation has enjoyed robust development,” the ministry said in a statement.
– “Our two sides have always treated each other with mutual respect and equality … Through the upcoming visit, China stands ready to work with Ireland to enhance political mutual trust, expand mutually beneficial co-operation.”
– “In Beijing, there will be a particular focus on further and higher education – an important area with a lot of potential for both partners, and where co-operation will yield longer-term dividends in terms of research and innovation, and people-to-people links,” Taoiseach said.
– Last month, the Sunday Times Ireland edition reported that the Irish Military Intelligence Service was concerned about security risks associated with academic links to China. But the Taoiseach later suggested that a more sophisticated approach to China’s strategic ambitions was required.
– “I do accept the intelligence that’s across Europe and UK recently but on the other hand, China has never initiated, in modern times, a war. I had a very interesting, pretty careful discussion with the Singaporean Prime Minister on that. We should do more to understand the Chinese psyche and approach, and the more longer term sort of scenario, strategic thinking,” he told The Journal.