China seeks enhanced ties with Ireland, as leaders meet in Beijing

BEIJING: China is ready to strengthen strategic communication with Ireland and expand practical cooperation, while aiming to achieve mutually beneficial results, Chinese President Xi Jinping told Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin on Monday.

Xi did not elaborate on what cooperation China was interested to further in his opening remarks at their meeting at the Great Hall of the People, but emphasised mutual respect and achieving win-win outcomes as “valuable experiences for the long-term, stable development of China-Ireland ties”.

China has shown growing interest in engaging with European Union countries individually as ties with Brussels remain frosty.

Martin, the first Irish Taoiseach to visit Beijing in 14 years, said that Ireland acknowledged China’s “indispensable role” in the world, highlighting its role in peacekeeping efforts.

He also stressed Ireland’s stance on open trade, a topic that could feature in discussions between the leaders.

“We believe it’s fundamental that we try and work towards open trade, recognising the interdependence of the world,” the taoiseach said of trade ties with China.

Martin’s trip comes two weeks after Beijing announced tariffs on EU dairy products, imposing provisional duties of up to 42.7%, the latest in a series of measures against EU exports widely seen as retaliation for the bloc’s electric vehicle tariffs.

Ireland is among Europe’s largest exporters of dairy products, shipping overseas more than 90% of the output from its family farms in trade worth 6 billion euros ($7.02 billion).

It was among the EU nations that voted in favour of tariffs on Chinese EVs. Martin will travel to Shanghai before his state visit ends on Thursday.