President to undertake State visit to China next week

President Michael D Higgins will begin a one-week State visit to China next Sunday. It follows an invitation from President Xi Jinping, who visited Ireland in November 2012 when he was China’s vice-president. The President will be accompanied to Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou by his wife, Sabina, Minister for Finance Michael Noonan and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Charlie Flanagan.

On the second day, he and his wife will be greeted by Mr Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, at the Great Hall of the People. Both presidents will witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding between NUI Galway and Tsinghua University. That evening there will be a state dinner in President Higgins’s honour hosted by Mr Xi. There is also an official meeting with Chinese premier Li Keqiang and a meeting with chairman of the National People’s Congress standing committee Zhang Dejiang.

Mr Higgins will address an event hosted by Tourism Ireland for members of the Chinese media and tourism industry. He will deliver a keynote address at the Fudan University, Shanghai, and will witness the signing of agreements between the university and Trinity College Dublin.

The President will travel by bullet train to Hangzhou city, where he will visit one of China’s leading international companies, Alibaba.

Mr Higgins will also visit the research and development centre at Huawei, one of China’s leading information technology companies and will speak at an exhibition organised by the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland.