Taoiseach Micheál Martin is set to travel to China to meet with president Xi Jinping, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has announced. In Beijing on Monday and Tuesday, Mr Martin will meet president Xi Jinping, premier Li Qiang and National People’s Congress (NPC) chairman Zhao Leji. The meetings are expected to focus on the relationship between the European Union and China and on global issues as well as the bilateral political and economic relationship between Dublin and Beijing. “I look forward to engaging with President Xi, Premier Li and Chairman Zhao of the National People’s Congress,” the Taoiseach said ahead of the visit. Photograph: Yan Yan/Xinhua via APThe Taoiseach is the first of a number of European leaders who are expected to visit Beijing in the first weeks of 2026.

Source: The Irish Times January 04, 2026 16:32 UTC