China Woos Europe Through the Emerald Isle

A Celtic Bridge to Beijing

Dublin—In the hush before dawn at Dublin Airport, the tarmac glowed under floodlights as officials fussed over a red carpet unrolled for a guest whose itinerary stretches far beyond Irish soil. Prime Minister Leo Varadkar departs Wednesday for a five-day swing through Beijing and Shanghai, carrying with him not only trade figures for Irish beef and pharmaceuticals but a larger, more delicate assignment: acting as an unofficial conduit between Brussels and Beijing at a moment when EU–China relations feel every bit as fragile as antique porcelain.

The Phone Call That Started It

According to three officials briefed on the planning, the trip crystallized after a late-night call in March between Varadkar and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “She didn’t ask him to carry a memo,” one Irish diplomat laughed. “But she did ask him to listen.” Translation: while formal EU channels stall on issues from electric-vehicle subsidies to Xinjiang sanctions, smaller member states can still move nimbly—and Ireland, with its tech-heavy, export-driven economy, has more incentive than most to keep dialogue alive.

“We’re not naive,” Varadkar told reporters Monday. “We know the strategic rivalry is real. But if we can keep even one lane of traffic open, that’s worth the jet fuel.”

Why Ireland, Why Now?

China’s ambassador to Dublin, He Xiangdong, has spent the past year courting county councils and university presidents, sprinkling Confucius Institutes and panda-diplomacy photo-ops across a nation whose population (5.1 million) is smaller than most Chinese cities. Yet size can be deceiving:

• Ireland hosts the European headquarters of Apple, Google and Meta—giants whose supply chains snake through Shenzhen and Chengdu.
• Irish food exports to China have doubled since 2018, with infant formula and pork now worth €1.2 billion annually.
• Beijing quietly views Dublin as a potential counterweight to more hawkish EU capitals such as Prague or Warsaw.

The choreography is subtle. Premier Li Qiang will greet Varadkar inside the Great Hall of the People rather than the more protocol-heavy Diaoyutai, signaling warmth without full state-visit fanfare. A private tour of a Huawei research hall—omitted from the public schedule—has been slotted in after EU trade czar Valdis Dombrovskis raised security alarms about 5G contracts.

What Each Side Wants

Beijing’s wish list, shared with Irish journalists in an off-record briefing, includes:

• Irish support for a long-stalled EU–China investment pact shelved after reciprocal sanctions in 2021.
• Greater access to European green-tech markets through Irish-based R&D hubs.
• A friendly voice inside EU councils when discussions turn to Taiwan or human-rights tariffs.

Dublin’s counter-menu is shorter but pricey: lower Chinese tariffs on Irish dairy, faster licensing for Irish pharmaceutical plants, and—above all—stability. “We’ve seen what decoupling did to semiconductor prices,” said IDA Ireland CEO Michael Lohan. “If China sneezes, our med-tech sector catches a cold.”

The Domestic Hurdle

Not everyone on the Emerald Isle is rolling out the carpet. A coalition of rights groups plans a candlelight vigil outside the Chinese embassy to mark the fifth anniversary of Hong Kong’s 2019 protests. Opposition TDs have tabled a motion condemning “threshold laundering of human-rights concerns for market access.” Varadkar’s response has been measured: “We can stand up for values and still sit down for business—otherwise we leave the table to the big boys.”

Will It Work?

Early signs are mixed. Chinese state media has already dubbed the visit “a spring breeze in the ice,” but EU diplomats in Brussels warn Beijing is playing a “divide-and-greet” strategy. Still, even skeptics concede that channels matter. “When the big ships aren’t talking, the smaller boats can carry messages in bottles,” one senior EU official mused.

Back in Dublin, as ground crews loaded suitcases stuffed with Kerrygold butter samples for Chinese influencers, the Taoiseach offered a parting thought: “Diplomacy is like farming—you plant before you need the harvest.” Whether the crop turns out to be clover or thorns will depend not just on what happens under the glare of Beijing’s chandeliers, but on what quiet conversations unfold once the cameras are gone.