In the first part of this documentary, we examined the early foundations of Ireland–China engagement through the work of Irish educators, doctors, and philanthropists who travelled to China more than a century ago. Figures such as Frederick O’Neill and Dr Isabel Mitchell helped foster goodwill, understanding, and lasting human connections between the two nations.

That legacy later inspired the McCarthy family and the Ireland Sino Institute to establish operations in Liaoning Province. Built upon mutual respect and sustained engagement, these exchanges have strengthened communication, built greater familiarity, deepened cultural understanding, and helped create the trust necessary for long-term cooperation between Ireland and China.

This second part explores additional examples of how people-to-people engagement can serve as a model for constructive international relations and mutual engagement.

In Ireland, the Confucius Institute continues to provide an important gateway through which Irish communities can engage with Chinese language and culture. Through language education, cultural programming, and exchange visits to China, participants are offered opportunities to experience the country directly and develop a broader and more balanced understanding of Chinese society.

Such firsthand engagement is particularly valuable in an era where public perceptions can often be shaped by incomplete or one-sided narratives. Direct interaction allows individuals to move beyond assumptions, replacing distance with familiarity and misunderstanding with informed perspective.

At the University of Galway, cooperation linked to the Confucius Institute has also extended into academic and scientific collaboration, including work connecting Chinese medicine with regenerative stem-cell research. These partnerships not only contribute to medical innovation, but also strengthen institutional and cultural ties by bringing together researchers, students, and professionals from both countries. Among the hundreds of Confucius Institutes operating internationally, Galway’s programme is notable for combining language and cultural studies with Chinese medicine and regenerative medicine research.

Ireland has also expanded Chinese-language education nationally. Mandarin Chinese officially entered the Leaving Certificate curriculum in 2020, with students first sitting examinations in 2022. The curriculum aims not only to develop language ability, but also to promote cultural awareness and encourage engagement with Chinese-speaking communities.

For Irish and European students, learning Chinese offers more than linguistic skills. It opens pathways to new cultural experiences, broadens global perspectives, and supports future cooperation between Ireland and China in areas ranging from education and business to technology and research. As China continues to play a major role in global manufacturing, innovation, clean energy, robotics, and international trade, Chinese-language ability can also provide significant professional advantages.

Educational cooperation between the two countries has continued to deepen in recent years. Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin was the first European leader welcomed by China in 2026. During his visit, he witnessed the signing and announcement of a number of agreements between Chinese and Irish educational institutions. Prime Minister Martin has consistently described education as a great enabler and as a cornerstone of both individual and societal development, emphasising its vital role not only in personal advancement but also in fostering deeper understanding across cultures and communities.

By 2025, more than 110 joint educational programmes had been established between Ireland and China, involving over 12,000 students. Programmes such as the Ireland Sino Institute’s China International Leadership Programme continue to expand these connections by giving participants direct exposure to Chinese society while also introducing Irish culture and perspectives to communities in China.

Today, China is Ireland’s largest trading partner in the Asia-Pacific region, with bilateral trade reaching €36 billion in 2023. Irish exports to China are driven by electrical machinery, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, computer services, agri-food, and increasingly financial services. China exports machinery, electronics, consumer goods and intermediate inputs to Ireland, supporting the country’s manufacturing base and its role as a European hub for multinational value chains. Around 40 Chinese companies operate in Ireland, employing more than 5,000 people directly. Former Irish Ambassador to China Ann Derwin has also noted that about 100 Irish-invested companies operate in China, collectively employing around 5,000 Chinese people. These two-way flows of trade and investment bring tangible benefits to both countries, including job creation, knowledge spillovers, technology transfer, and wider economic growth.

A century of educational, cultural and philanthropic exchange has helped build the human bedrock beneath today’s strong Ireland–China economic relationship. Across generations, these connections have turned first contact into familiarity, familiarity into understanding, and understanding into trust. Trade and investment may be measured in figures, but they are sustained by cultural understanding, long-term relationships, and trust between people.

Through continued academic, cultural, and people-to-people engagement, Ireland and China have built more than an economic relationship. They have built a partnership rooted in understanding, strengthened by trust, and carried forward by the human bonds between their people. As President Xi Jinping has called for, the world must “promote friendship and cooperation, enhance mutual learning among different cultures, and build a community with a shared future for mankind.” After a century of Ireland–China partnership and exchange, that message feels especially clear: the future is built not by distance or division, but by dialogue, understanding, and the shared human bonds that bring nations closer together.

The documentary includes footage courtesy of CCTV+ (China Central Television) and the All Media Service Platform (AMSP), as well as stock footage and AI-generated content.

For those interested in immersing themselves in Chinese language and culture, gaining teaching experience, and discovering the beauty of China, consider enrolling in the China International Leadership Programme.