Xi attends welcome ceremony hosted by Malaysian king in Kuala Lumpur

Chinese President Xi Jinping attended a welcome ceremony hosted by Malaysian King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar at the Istana Negara -- the National Palace, in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday morning.

Xi arrived in Malaysia on Tuesday for a state visit, the second leg of his current three-nation Southeast Asia tour.

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Xi attends welcome ceremony hosted by Malaysian king in Kuala Lumpur

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Xi attends welcome ceremony hosted by Malaysian king in Kuala Lumpur

During the welcome ceremony, the military band played the national anthems of China and Malaysia, and gun salutes were also fired.

Xi inspected the guard of honor.

The two heads of state then entered the hall of the National Palace and exchanged greetings with the accompanying officials from both sides.

Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin has reiterated Ireland's adherence to the one-China policy during an exclusive interview with China Media Group (CMG) in Beijing on Tuesday.

"We've been very consistent in our support of the one-China policy and will remain consistent in that regard. You know, we're very clear and have been from the outset really in terms of the one-China policy and that will continue," said Martin, who was on an official visit to China from Jan 4 to 8.

The visit marked the first time an Irish government head has visited China in 14 years, and Martin is also the first European leader to visit China since the beginning of the new year.