Ireland’s Prime Minister Micheál Martin will travel to China from Sunday, becoming the first Irish leader to visit the country in 14 years, China’s Foreign Ministry said

on Saturday.

During the five-day visit, Martin is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang and Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress. He will also travel to Shanghai in addition to meetings in Beijing, the ministry said.

The visit comes as Beijing seeks to deepen bilateral ties with individual European Union member states amid broader strains in China–EU relations over trade disputes and human rights concerns. In December, China imposed provisional tariffs of up to 42.7% on dairy products, including milk and cheese, imported from the EU, and launched investigations into European brandy and pork. The moves followed EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.

In a statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said China is ready to work with Ireland to expand cooperation and promote the development of China–EU relations through the visit.

Martin’s trip follows recent visits by other European leaders. In late 2025, French President Emmanuel Macron and Spain’s King Felipe VI met with Xi during separate visits to China.

Separately, China will host South Korean President Lee Jae Myung for a four-day visit beginning Sunday. Lee is expected to meet Xi, marking their second meeting in two months.

Lee’s visit comes amid heightened tensions between China and Japan. In November, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Japan’s military could become involved if China were to take action against Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its sovereign territory. Last week, China conducted large-scale military drills around the island for two days, describing them as a warning against separatist forces and what it called external interference.

Ahead of his trip, Lee reaffirmed South Korea’s adherence to the “One China” policy on Taiwan in an interview with China’s state broadcaster CCTV. Photo nay European Union, Wikimedia commons.