On the afternoon of January 6, 2026, Premier Li Qiang of the State Council held talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing with Taoiseach of Ireland Micheál Martin, who is on an official visit to China.

Li Qiang said that on the previous day, President Xi Jinping held a meeting with Taoiseach Micheál Martin, providing strategic guidance for deepening China-Ireland relations. With the joint efforts of China and Ireland, the strategic partnership for mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries has continued to deepen and solidify, with new achievements constantly being made in various areas of cooperation. China is ready to make continued efforts with Ireland to consolidate and strengthen political mutual trust, accommodate each other's major interests and core concerns, advance high-quality practical cooperation, and take bilateral relations to new heights, so as to achieve a higher level of mutual benefit and win-win results.

Noting the strong economic complementarity between China and Ireland, Li Qiang said that both sides should further synergize development strategies and explore the potential for cooperation in various fields. China is ready to work with Ireland to expand and improve bilateral trade, and expand trade in services covering such areas as aircraft leasing, insurance, medical care and health, so as to better meet the needs of the people of both countries. China welcomes Irish companies to make full use of platforms such as the China International Import Expo and the China International Fair for Trade in Services to further promote their products. Both sides should jointly seize future development opportunities, and deepen cooperation in areas such as green energy, digital economy, artificial intelligence, information technology and life sciences. At the same time, both sides should further facilitate cross-border travel, strengthen exchanges and cooperation in culture, tourism, education, and at the sub-national level, and continuously cement the foundation of public support for friendship between the two countries. Currently, unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise globally, and the international economic and trade order is facing serious challenges. China is ready to enhance communication and collaboration with Ireland in multilateral mechanisms such as the United Nations, to jointly safeguard multilateralism and free trade and make the international order more just and equitable. As Ireland will hold the rotating EU presidency in the second half of this year, China hopes that Ireland will play a positive role in promoting China-EU cooperation.

Micheál Martin said that the people of Ireland and China have enjoyed a long-standing friendship, and the economic and trade cooperation has yielded fruitful results, enhancing the well-being of both peoples. Ireland is firmly committed to further deepening the strategic partnership for mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries. Ireland is willing to strengthen exchanges at all levels with China, leverage complementary advantages, promote cooperation in trade, investment, science and technology, healthcare, agriculture, green economy, artificial intelligence and other fields, and enhance cultural and people-to-people exchanges in education and at the sub-national level. The Irish side welcomes more Chinese enterprises to invest in Ireland. Ireland values the important role China plays in international affairs, and is willing to enhance multilateral coordination with China, oppose unilateralism and protectionism, and jointly safeguard world peace, stability, development and prosperity. Ireland is willing to play a constructive role in promoting dialogue and cooperation between the EU and China.

Prior to the talks, Li Qiang held a welcome ceremony for Micheál Martin at the North Hall of the Great Hall of the People.

Wu Zhenglong attended the above events.