Taoiseach calls for China to accept Irish beefBy Cillian Sherlock, Press AssociationIreland has pressed China to reopen its market for Irish beef products, the Taoiseach has said. Micheál Martin has continued his itinerary in China with engagements on transport links and educational connections. Mr Martin met Chinese president Xi Jinping on Monday as part of the first visit to China by a taoiseach since 2012. “We now have 13 joint colleges and about 110 joint programmes and these involve the lecturing to students here in China by Irish colleges and it’s quite beneficial both to Irish colleges and to Chinese students and the Chinese colleges as well. “And that’s apart from the normal toing-and-froing of students coming to study in Ireland and Irish students coming to study as part of their undergraduate or postgraduate programmes in China."

Source: Irish Independent January 06, 2026 17:54 UTC