Shanghai is not Cork and Cork is not Shanghai. The Chinese city is the newest of Cork's six twinned cities, having joined the likes of Rennes and Coventry in 2005. For instance, Shanghai has very close ties with Cork City, which is also your home town — and in fact Cork City is the first sister city between our two countries. Mr Martin, for his part, said he was impressed by the city's growth in the two decades since he first visited. Mr Martin did not, however, follow the local propensity to throw up the peace sign in photos, much to the disappointment of the travelling press.

Source: Irish Examiner January 09, 2026 07:19 UTC