A joint press conference by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the Chinese Prime Minister, Mr Wen Jiabao, scheduled for Dublin Castle last night was cancelled without notice.
The official reason for the cancellation, which even surprised Irish civil servants, was that bilateral talks between the two leaders went on longer than expected. The meeting began at about 5.45 p.m. at Dublin Castle and continued until 7.10 p.m.
The press conference in St George's Hall at the castle was scheduled for 6.45 p.m. but word filtered through to the waiting reporters that the meeting was "running 20 minutes overtime". Then, at approximately 7.20 p.m., a tannoy announcement said the press conference had been cancelled.
Outside on Dublin's Dame Street, rival groups of demonstrators, most of them young Chinese, expressed opposition to, and support for, the policies of Mr Wen and his government. The Chinese occupation of Tibet and suppression of the Falun Gong spiritual movement were highlighted by one group, while the other waved Irish and Chinese flags together. Gardaí blocked off the entrance to the castle but the atmosphere was peaceful and good-humoured.
Informed sources at Dublin Castle said the reason the meeting between Mr Wen and Mr Ahern exceeded its allotted time was twofold: the Chinese leader speaks no English and an unexpected amount of time was taken up with translation; and because Mr Wen had spoken at considerable length about the positive features of the Chinese economy.
Officials denied that there was any attempt to avoid tough questions about human rights issues, as the Chinese leader had been faced with similar questions earlier in his current European tour.
Mr Ahern raised human rights issues, expressing satisfaction that some progress had been made in particular cases while hoping that other cases, including some of particular interest to Ireland, would be dealt with soon. Mr Wen said China took human rights "very seriously" and had recently amended its constitution to ensure that human rights were protected by the state.
Meanwhile, it was announced that Ireland had been given "approved destination status" for tourism purposes by China. This will facilitate organised group tourism from China and reportedly lead to a substantial increase in Chinese tourists.
Mr Wen invited the Taoiseach to visit China and Mr Ahern indicated he would do so, probably next year. The Chinese leader expressed appreciation for Ireland's adherence to a "one China" policy, i.e., refusing to give separate diplomatic recognition to the non-communist territory of Taiwan. Mr Wen's two-day visit concludes today.