Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin on Tuesday voiced his country's commitment to enhancing practical cooperation with China in key fields including artificial intelligence, agriculture, and education.
Speaking in an interview with China Media Group (CMG) during his Jan 4–8 visit, Martin said his talks, including a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, focused on reinforcing Ireland-China relations and placing EU-China ties on a firmer footing, particularly in addressing trade issues.
"I think, first of all, we admire the Chinese approach, the strategic approach that China takes in planning, particularly its five-year plans, and it generally executes those plans with precision. The areas that we have identified are where there is a degree of complementarity, we would be very interested in the AI revolution that is taking place in the world and how best to use apply that technology. We know China a leader now in AI, so we will be interested in working with China because we're a highly digitalized economy in Ireland. We are strong in technology. We have very strong human capital in AI, and so we believe there are synergies there," said Martin.
He expressed Ireland's particular interest in deepening collaboration within agriculture—a cornerstone of the national economy—as well as in education.
The remarks followed an event hosted earlier in the day by the Irish Embassy in Beijing, which showcased a range of bilateral cooperation achievements and highlighted the latest progress in higher education collaboration between the two countries.
"Agriculture and food remain a core industry in Ireland. We have probably one of the most carbon efficient modern food production systems in the world, both beef and dairy and pig meat and so on, and poultry. So therefore, there are opportunities there, given the size of the market in China and the quality of Irish produce, because it's grass based, it's pasture based. The other area that we feel is education. I was very interested today, I witnessed the signature of quite a number of agreements between Chinese universities and Irish universities, many of the problems delivered here in China. There's up to 12,000 students now participating in these joint programs," said Martin.
In recent years, joint educational programs between the two sides have maintained steady growth. Data showed that the total number of joint education institutions and programs reached 110 by July 2025, with over 12,000 students currently enrolled.
Irish PM looks forward to strengthened cooperation with China in AI, agriculture, education
From cutting-edge technology exhibitions to retail stores thousands of kilometers away from Europe and Southeast Asia, China-made robot vacuum cleaners are increasingly becoming a popular choice among consumers worldwide.
At electronics retailers in Berlin, Germany, Chinese brands such as Roborock and Dreame occupy prominent positions in dedicated robot vacuum sections, offering a wide range of products priced between 200 and 2,000 euros.
Many local consumers said that when purchasing smart home appliances including robot vacuum cleaners, they tend to give priority to Chinese-made products.
"It's a good price and good quality. It's also the innovation. I have a feeling that the European brands are not innovating enough," said one customer.
"I think they're always on top of the other technologies. They are getting them out faster. A lot of us are switching to the Chinese technology," another consumer said.
Germany is one of the most important overseas markets for China's floor-cleaning robots.
According to data from market research firm GfK, from January to November 2025, more than six out of 10 robot vacuum cleaners sold in Western Europe were Chinese brands.
Industry data also point to a strong global momentum.
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), global shipments of smart robot vacuum cleaners reached 17.424 million units in the first three quarters of 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 18.7 percent.
Chinese brands including Roborock, Ecovacs, Dreame, Xiaomi and Narwal ranked among the world's top five in terms of shipment volume, with a combined share of nearly 70 percent of the global market.
At a robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing plant in Huizhou, south China's Guangdong Province, workers were seen stepping up production of newly launched models that recently debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show in the United States, which concluded Friday in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The factory adjusted its production lines as early as December 2025 and stocked inventory in advance for overseas markets to ensure that new products could be delivered to global consumers at the earliest possible time.
"In 2025, Roborock's global shipments exceeded 7.2 million units. Since 2024, overseas revenue has accounted for more than 50 percent of our total revenue. Our products have now been sold to more than 170 countries and regions, serving more than 20 million households worldwide," said Quan Gang, president of Roborock.
At another robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing facility in Dongguan, Guangdong, rising overseas orders have prompted the company to upgrade its production lines with intelligent technologies to further boost capacity. The factory is currently operating at full load to meet a growing demand.
"For 2026, we have already obtained overseas orders worth at least 300 million to 400 million yuan (around 43 million to 57.3 million U.S. dollars). In addition, we've engaged in strategic cooperation with European home appliance group Cebos Group, and our total confirmed orders have exceeded 600 million yuan (around 86 million U.S. dollars)," said Zhang Junbin, founder and CEO of Narwal Robotics.
Chinese robot vacuum brands gain strong global traction
