Forceful interventions on human rights issues and the situation in Tibet have been made by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and by the President, Mrs McAleese, on the second day of the four-day official visit to Ireland by the Chinese Premier, Mr Zhu Rongji.
Trade matters and common interests on the United Nations Security Council were also discussed.
The Taoiseach surprised some observers by repeatedly stressing the need for stricter Chinese adherence to universal standards of human rights. He specifically highlighted the case of Mr Zhao Ming, a postgraduate student at Trinity College Dublin and follower of the Falun Gong spiritual movement, who is currently detained without trial in China.
Mr Ahern extracted a promise from the Premier that he would inquire about the case, although Mr Zhu also denounced Falun Gong as an "evil cult".
The pressure was maintained by the President, Mrs McAleese, whose meeting with the Premier extended beyond the scheduled 20 minutes to a full 45 minutes as the two engaged in a "healthy and very frank discussion and exchange of views", mainly on Tibet.
The President shared a platform in Belfast last year with the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, and was greatly impressed by his broad humanitarian approach to public affairs. It is understood that she tried to explain the "broadly held international view" of Tibet as an oppressed country under foreign domination. It does not appear that she made much progress with the Chinese Premier, who was nevertheless "very friendly" and showed an "interest" in dialogue.
Mr Zhu twice extended an invitation to the President to visit China "sooner rather than later", if possible next year. The President accepted the invitation and the two parted on friendly terms.
The second day of the visit also had a strong economic aspect and, at an official dinner in Dublin Castle last night, the Taoiseach paid generous tribute to the progress made in China and Premier Zhu's role in this, saying: "Over the past 20 years, China has been engaged in perhaps the most ambitious and far-reaching programme of economic transformation ever undertaken."
Drawing parallels with Ireland, Mr Ahern said: "Our own experience over the last 40 years has highlighted for us the challenges which must be overcome in transforming a mainly agricultural economy with a relatively large state sector into one predominantly focused on the manufacturing and services sector, with a strong emphasis on high technology."
Speaking in English, Mr Zhu described Ireland as "a dazzling star in the firmament of world culture" which had edged into the front rank of the world in terms of economic growth and national competitiveness, thus winning the nickname of "the little tiger in Europe".
Mr Zhu added: "The Chinese people will never forget that Ireland voted in favour of the restoration of China's legitimate seat in the United Nations at the UN General Assembly in 1971."