China

China postpones Wang Yi’s Somalia visit, cites ‘friendly negotiations’ on new date Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026 MOGADISHU — China has confirmed that Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s planned stop in Mogadishu has been postponed, saying the change came after “friendly negotiations” with Somali counterparts and that both sides are working on a revised schedule. In a statement posted late Friday by the Chinese Embassy in Mogadishu, Beijing said it had adjusted the itinerary for Wang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party…

MOGADISHU — China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, postponed a planned visit to Somalia’s capital on Friday after authorities imposed sweeping security restrictions across Mogadishu ahead of his expected arrival, Somali officials said. Wang Yi’s visit to Mogadishu was postponed Friday; no reason was given and no new date announced. Parts of the city were sealed off, with checkpoints and major road closures including routes to Aden Adde International Airport. The trip was slated to be the first visit by a Chinese foreign…

BEIJING — Taoiseach Micheál Martin is set to hold in-depth talks on trade with Chinese Premier Li Qiang during a five-day visit to China, pressing for progress on Irish beef exports and relief from tariffs on dairy products as EU-China trade tensions simmer. The meeting with Li follows Martin’s summit with President Xi Jinping, where the Irish leader raised sector-specific barriers facing Irish agri-food exporters and broader questions about how Europe and China manage an increasingly fraught economic relationship. “I…

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. 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…

Taoiseach Micheál Martin will travel to China beginning tomorrow for a five-day visit, the first by an Irish leader since 2012, as Beijing moves to shore up ties with individual European Union members amid deepening trade and security frictions. China’s foreign ministry announced the trip, which runs through Thursday, saying Beijing “is willing to take this visit as an opportunity to enhance political mutual trust and expand mutually beneficial co-operation with Ireland.” Martin is due to meet Premier Li Qiang and Zhao Leji,…

China has removed a three-decade-old tax exemption on contraceptive drugs and devices, imposing a 13% value-added tax on items such as condoms and contraceptive pills from Jan. 1, in a fresh bid to arrest a prolonged slide in birth rates. The change subjects most contraceptives to the standard VAT applied to consumer goods in the world’s second-largest economy. It marks a policy shift after years in which such products were treated as tax-exempt public health items, and it arrives as Beijing ramps up efforts to encourage…

BEIJING — China on Monday condemned Israel’s formal recognition of North Western State of Somalia and a reported agreement to establish diplomatic relations with the territory, calling the move a challenge to Somalia’s sovereignty and regional stability. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Beijing “firmly supports Somalia’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity” and “opposes any moves that undermine Somali territorial integrity.” He cited the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter and…

International Opposition to Israeli Recognition of North Western State of Somalia China and several other countries have voiced strong objections to Israel's recent recognition of North Western State of Somalia as an independent state. This diplomatic move has garnered widespread condemnation and calls for adherence to Somalia’s territorial integrity. China, Sweden, and the EU reiterate support for Somalia’s sovereignty. Rejection of Israeli recognition comes from numerous countries, including Türkiye. North…

China rejects North Western State of Somalia recognition, backs Somalia’s territorial integrity after Israel move MOGADISHU — Monday, December 29, 2025: China said it opposes any attempt to divide Somalia and warned against outside support for separatism, days after Israel became the first country to formally recognize North Western State of Somalia as an independent state. Beijing “firmly supports Somalia’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters at a regular…

China launches live-fire drills around Taiwan after U.S. arms sale, warns against “external” interference China has begun live-fire military exercises around Taiwan, hours after announcing “major” joint drills in surrounding waters and airspace, as Beijing steps up pressure on the self-governed island and warns foreign backers to stay out. The People’s Liberation Army said it is deploying destroyers, frigates, fighters, bombers and unmanned aerial vehicles for exercises that include live-fire training on maritime targets to…