News | Latest Breaking News Stories & Headlines

China lifts sanctions on UK politicians

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that China has agreed to lift sanctions on five UK MPs and two peers targeted for their criticism of alleged human rights abuses.

World • 14 hrs

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in China with traditiona Chinese houses and dragons in the background

Trump warns UK on China ties as Starmer hails progress

US President Donald Trump said it was dangerous for Britain to be getting into business with Beijing, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer lauded the economic benefits of resetting relations with China during a visit there.

Business • 19 hrs

China suspends imports of Irish beef due to bluetongue

China has suspended imports of Irish beef following the detection of an outbreak of bluetongue in Co Wexford last week, while more cases of the virus have been confirmed in three additional cattle herds in the county.

Ireland • 28 Jan

The Louis Vuitton store on 5th Avenue in New York which is shaped like a suitcase with the company print on it

LVMH's quarterly sales climb as China improves

LVMH, the owner of Louis Vuitton and Tiffany, has beaten fourth-quarter sales forecasts, boosting hopes of a luxury sector rebound even as trade tensions, a weaker dollar and high gold prices squeezed margins.

Business • 28 Jan

The deal is expected to help Puma increase its sales in the lucrative Chinese market

China's Anta Sports buys 29% Puma stake for $1.8 billion

China's biggest sportswear brand Anta Sports Products said it would buy a 29.06% stake in Puma from the Pinault family for €1.5 billion, making it the biggest shareholder in the German sportswear maker.

Business • 27 Jan

Close up of a four months old baby's legs and feet

China's birth rate falls to lowest on record

China's birth rate plunged last year to its lowest level on record, official data showed, as its population shrank for a fourth straight year despite efforts to curb the decline.

World • 19 Jan

Newly-finished cars rolling off the production line at the Great Wall Motors' factory in China

China's 2025 economic growth among slowest in decades

China's economy grew at one of the slowest rates in decades last year, according to official data released today, as officials struggle to overcome persistently low consumer spending and a debt crisis in the country's property sector.

Business • 19 Jan

The Sunday Times reporter Julieanne Corr joins Behind the Story to discuss a rise in the use of ketamine

Podcast: Ireland–China ties and rising ketamine use

China's trade surplus reached a record high last year of $1.19 trillion dollars, a 20% increase from 2024.

Behind the Story • 16 Jan

Chinese President Xi Jinping (centre L) and Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney (2nd R) attend a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on January 16, 2026. (Photo by Vincent Thian / POOL / AFP)

Canada hails 'new strategic partnership' with China

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney hailed a "new strategic partnership" with Beijing as he held talks with President Xi Jinping, the first visit by a Canadian leader to China in eight years.

World • 16 Jan

Chinese market to reopen for Irish beef imports

Beef exports to China from Ireland are to resume following a decision by Chinese authorities to reopen the market, after it was closed due to a case of BSE being discovered here in 2024.

Ireland • 12 Jan

China's car sales clock slowest growth in three years

China's car sales in 2025 slowed to their weakest pace in three years while exports of made-in-China cars beat estimates, as automakers stepped up overseas expansion to offset a sluggish domestic market.

Business • 09 Jan

China's consumer price index - a key measure of inflation - rose 0.8% year-on-year in December

China consumer prices rise at fastest pace since 2023

Chinese consumer prices rose last month at their fastest pace in nearly three years, official data showed today, extending a period of growth following months of deflationary pressure in the world's second-largest economy.

Business • 09 Jan

A man in a black leather jacket on a stage with a background of computer chips behind him

China asks some tech firms to halt Nvidia orders - report

Beijing has asked some Chinese tech companies to halt orders for Nvidia's H200 chips this week, and is expected ⁠to mandate domestic artificial intelligence chip purchases, the Information has reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Business • 07 Jan

Taoiseach Micheal Martin shaking hands with China's Premier Li

EU, China must engage to resolve trade friction - Martin

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said the EU and China will need to engage to resolve trade friction that has seen both sides place tariffs on each other's products.

World • 06 Jan

Taoiseach Micheál Martin meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing today

Taoiseach calls for more open trade during visit to China

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing at the start of a four-day official visit to China.

Ireland • 06 Jan

Taoiseach begins China visit aimed at boosting trade

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has arrived in Beijing, Chinese state media said, kicking off a five-day visit aimed at boosting trade between the two countries.

Ireland • 04 Jan

Taoiseach to visit China as Beijing shores up EU ties

Taoiseach Micheál Martin will visit China from ⁠tomorrow, the first such trip by a Taoiseach ‍since 2012 as Beijing shores up ties with individual members of the European Union bloc

Asia • 03 Jan

China removes tax exemption on contraceptive drugs

China has removed a three-decade-old tax exemption on contraceptive drugs and devices from 1 January in ⁠new steps to increase the country's birth rate.

Asia • 03 Jan

Taiwanese President William Lai visits a military base, in Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Taiwan to 'defend sovereignty and boost defence' in 2026

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said the island ⁠is determined to defend its sovereignty and boost its defence in the face of China's increasing expansion, after Beijing fired rockets towards the island as part of military drills.

Asia • 01 Jan

Xi says China to hit 2025 growth target of 'around 5%'

Chinese President Xi Jinping said today that the country's economy is expected to have grown "around 5%" in 2025, despite "pressure" during a year he described as "very unusual", state media said.

Business • 31 Dec 25

Novo Nordisk confirmed that it is adjusting the price of Wegovy in China

Novo and Lilly cut prices of weight-loss drugs in China

Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly are lowering prices of their top-selling obesity drugs Wegovy and Mounjaro in China, according to the Danish drugmaker and Chinese drug suppliers.

Business • 30 Dec 25

Taiwan leader condemns China live-fire drills

China launched missiles and deployed dozens of fighter aircraft and navy vessels around Taiwan for a second day of live-fire drills aimed at simulating a blockade of the self-ruled island's key ports and assaults on maritime targets.

World • 30 Dec 25

China is to lower the import ‍duties on resource-based commodities such as recycled black powder for lithium-ion batteries

China to lower import tariffs on some products from 2026

China has today announced tariff adjustments ⁠for some products beginning next year, including lowering the import ‍duties on resource-based commodities such as recycled black powder for lithium-ion batteries.

Business • 29 Dec 25

Chinese military begin live-fire drills around Taiwan

China has started live-fire military exercises around Taiwan, hours after announcing "major" drills in waters and airspace near the self-governed democratic island.

World • 30 Dec 25

China hits EU dairy with tariffs, broadening trade row

China will impose provisional duties of up to 42.7% on dairy products imported from the European Union, the latest in a series of measures against EU exports widely seen as retaliation for the bloc's electric vehicle tariffs.

Business • 22 Dec 25