Mr Martin said Mr Xi raised the book during their meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday morning. “Coincidentally, I had read it as a late teenager as well, and had a first edition copy presented to me by an uncle of mine,” Mr Martin said. Asked about that idea, Mr Martin accepted that there were "moving parts" and "realpolitik" at play while avoiding any condemnation of the US, but strongly condemning Mr Maduro. While few would argue that Mr Maduro was a paragon of democratic ideals, Mr Martin was saying this in Beijing. Mr Martin made this clear at a dinner in the appropriately named, but not Irish linked, Kerry Hotel on Monday evening.

Source: Irish Examiner January 05, 2026 15:37 UTC