Micheál Martin meets Xi Jinping in Beijing, urges open trade as EU-China tensions simmer
Taoiseach Micheál Martin met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday, opening a four-day official visit focused on trade, technology and wider geopolitical issues amid a tense backdrop in EU-China relations.
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During an audience at the capital’s Great Hall, Martin cited the strength of Irish-Chinese commerce and called for more open trade between the countries. He also acknowledged what he described as China’s indispensable role in global affairs, highlighting Beijing’s work at the United Nations.
Xi, in turn, said the two countries should deepen cooperation in areas such as artificial intelligence and the digital economy — priorities that dovetail with Ireland’s high-tech strengths and China’s push to lead in strategic technologies.
The meeting comes as Brussels and Beijing navigate escalating trade frictions. The European Union has imposed higher tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles entering the single market, while China has announced a new tariff on EU dairy products. Those moves add to a broader climate of global trade strain spurred by a raft of tariffs placed on trading partners by U.S. President Donald Trump.
In Beijing, Martin is also meeting Irish and Chinese business leaders and representatives from 12 Irish colleges based in the city, underscoring education and innovation as pillars of Ireland’s engagement with China. Later this week he will travel to Shanghai, China’s commercial hub, to meet the city’s mayor and business groups from sectors including tourism and food and beverages.
The Taoiseach toured Beijing’s Forbidden City after his talks, a UNESCO World Heritage site that served as the seat of Chinese imperial power for more than five centuries up to the 1920s. The visit added a cultural dimension to a trip otherwise centered on trade and diplomacy.
Martin said he will use his meetings with officials to address pressing global challenges, including peace and security and the trading environment. He plans to emphasize the importance of a strong EU-China relationship and the need for robust, effective multilateral institutions.
The visit marks the first by a sitting Irish prime minister to China since 2012. Martin most recently visited the country in 2023 as Tánaiste and minister for foreign affairs, a trip that helped lay groundwork for the current engagement at head-of-government level.
China is Ireland’s fifth-largest trading partner, with total bilateral trade reaching €36 billion in 2023. Irish exports are led by medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, computer services and agri-food, while financial services are becoming an increasingly important component of the relationship. Officials and executives on both sides are watching how discussions on AI, the digital economy and standards-setting could translate into new projects and investment.
The Taoiseach’s itinerary reflects a balancing act familiar to EU leaders: maintaining market access and expanding cooperation in strategically important sectors while navigating disputes over tariffs and industrial policy. With technology collaboration on the table and dairy and automotive trade under pressure, Dublin’s message — open markets, stable rules and strong institutions — aims to keep channels open at a moment when economic ties are both substantial and contested.
Martin is scheduled to return to Ireland on Thursday evening after concluding meetings in Shanghai.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
