Iceland’s new direct air connection with China and record bilateral trade featured in talks between Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Thursday. The meeting followed the launch of Air China’s first direct service to Keflavík and a new codeshare agreement between Icelandair and Air China, according to Iceland Review’s report, which cited Iceland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Those developments provide the concrete transport connection behind discussions about growing travel between the two countries. The ministry said Chinese tourism to Iceland was growing and expected the new air service to support a further increase. That remains an expectation; the report did not provide passenger figures for the new route or quantify its effect on visitor numbers. Trade figures presented alongside the visit showed the scale of the countries’ commercial relationship. Icelandic goods exports to China exceeded ISK 23 billion in 2025, rising nearly 19% from the previous year. Imports from China topped ISK 166 billion, an increase of more than 13%. The ministry described 2025 as a record year for bilateral trade. The ministers discussed expanding trade, geothermal cooperation and green technology. Existing energy links include district-heating systems jointly developed and operated by Arctic Green Energy and Sinopec in more than 70 Chinese cities. Nearly 100 Chinese specialists have also studied at Iceland’s GRÓ Geothermal Training Programme. Þorgerður Katrín raised Russia’s war in Ukraine, saying she had urged China to use its influence on Russian authorities. The ministers also discussed international cooperation and respect for international law. The Beijing meeting followed the Icelandic president’s 2025 visit to China. The two countries are marking 55 years of diplomatic relations in 2026, with the new Keflavík service and airline agreement adding transport links to an established trading and geothermal relationship.