Mr Martin arrived in the capital of China on Sunday ahead of his meeting with Mr Xi on Monday. Mr Martin said he is “very much looking forward to deepening the political, cultural, and economic connections between our two countries”. Mr Martin will travel to Shanghai on Tuesday to meet with Mayor Gong Zheng. Ahead of Monday’s meetings, Mr Martin said:I will stress the importance of a strong EU-China relationship, as well as robust and effective multilateral institutions. Wicklow–Wexford Fianna Fáil TD Malcolm Byrne had said on Sunday that Mr Martin should raise the case of pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai.

Source: Irish Examiner January 05, 2026 03:29 UTC