(Xinhua/Li Xiang)
China is willing to strengthen strategic communication with Ireland, deepen political mutual trust and expand pragmatic cooperation for the benefit of the people of the two countries, and inject new impetus into China-EU relations, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday.
When meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin in Beijing, Xi said China is willing to strengthen economic and trade cooperation with Ireland, align development strategies in areas such as artificial intelligence, digital economy, medicine and health, promote bilateral investment, leverage each other’s strengths, share opportunities and pursue common development.
The two sides should strengthen cooperation in education, culture and tourism to foster greater people-to-people affinity, and China welcomes more young Irish people coming to China to study and participate in exchanges, Xi said.
Both China and Ireland support multilateralism and advocate international fairness and justice, Xi added, while urging the two sides to strengthen coordination and cooperation in international affairs, jointly uphold the authority of the UN and make the global governance system more just and equitable.
Xi said China and the EU should keep the long-term perspective in mind, maintain the partnership positioning, and view and handle disputes objectively and rationally to work for win-win cooperation.
With Ireland holding the rotating presidency of the EU in the second half of this year, China hopes that Ireland will play a constructive role in promoting the healthy and stable development of China-EU relations, said the Chinese president.
Noting that Ireland firmly adheres to the one-China policy, Martin said his country is committed to developing the strategic partnership for mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.
Ireland is willing to deepen cooperation with China in trade, investment, science and technology, biomedicine, renewable energy, artificial intelligence, education and other areas, Martin noted.
