Allister raises 'proper criticism' of First Ministers' controversial meeting with Chinese diplomat - as Foreign Office pledges to 'challenge' officials

TUV MP Jim Allister raised the issue in Westminster on Tuesday, and welcomed a commitment by the minister Catherine West to look into the First and deputy First Ministers’ dealings with China.

In May of last year, Michelle O’Neill and Emma Little Pengelly met the UK’s Chinese ambassador Zheng Zeguang at Stormont Castle.

But their office wouldn’t release records of the meeting, arguing that it could harm “international relations”.

Stormont has no remit over foreign policy or international relations, which are reserved matters for the national government at Westminster.

In the House of Commons on Tuesday, the North Antrim MP Mr Allister asked the minister whether her department was overseeing relations between devolved governments and Beijing.

“What oversight is there by the Foreign Office of our devolved institutions connections with China?

“I ask because of recent proper criticism by Simon Chang, the pro democracy Hong Kong activist who’s in exile because he was tortured in China who properly has criticised the fact that when the First Minister of Northern Ireland recently had contact with Chinese authorities they have refused to publish a record of those meetings. So what oversight is there to ensure that we are presenting a united front across the United Kingdom to China?”, he asked.

Minister West responded: “Taking his point very seriously, I think we could be doing more and with his permission if he could write to me with his example he’s mentioned today and I’m aware that the Member for Edinburgh from the Liberal Democrat benches also mentioned a particular incident to me in Edinburgh which I was unaware of. So with his permission I would like that so that I could challenge some of their officials to come up with a more robust, joined up approach”.