Tánaiste Micheál Martin’s visit to China this week was the fourth by a Government Minister since the start of this year and the most high-level engagement between the two countries since before the pandemic. It included lengthy meetings with vice-president Han Zheng and foreign minister Wang Yi as well as events with businesses, students and the Irish community in Beijing and Shanghai.
The visit came amid signs of a thaw in relations between China and the United States ahead of Xi Jinping’s expected meeting with Joe Biden in San Francisco next week. But the international diplomatic atmosphere remains tense and the Tánaiste sought to reassure his Chinese interlocutors that Ireland and the rest of the EU remain committed to their relationship with China.
He said that “de-risking” was not directed at China but was a response to the economic shocks such as the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and Brexit. He said Ireland would be a voice within the EU advocating for globalisation and free trade.
Martin stressed that Ireland viewed its relationship with China through the prism of the United Nations Charter and it was in this context that he raised the issue of human rights. He said that a report on the treatment of the Uyghur minority by the former UN human rights commissioner should be considered by the UN human rights council, a move opposed by China.
How can I find out about an owners’ management company before I buy an apartment?
Michael Murphy: Kerry need to find a better way of managing David Clifford
If the Democrats are to have any chance now, they will have to be brave
‘Six-million puzzles pieces’: The Jerusalem centre working to keep alive the memory of the Holocaust
Unlike China, Ireland opposes an unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine and supports Kyiv’s demand that all Russian forces must withdraw from its territory before talks can begin. But Dublin and Beijing agree on the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and a return to negotiations towards a two-state solution.
Like last week’s trade mission to South Korea led by the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste’s visit to China is part of the Government’s Asia Pacific strategy, which aims to build Ireland’s relationships with this region of 4 billion people. Both visits showed the value of personal engagement in promoting Ireland’s interests and foreign policy in the world’s most economically dynamic region.