Irish, Chinese premiers praise ties, seek enhanced cooperation

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar hosted his Chinese counterpart Li Qiang in Dublin on Wednesday, discussing bilateral ties between the two countries.

During the meeting at Farmleigh House, Li said the two countries should adhere to mutual benefit and always regard each other as key cooperative partners.

He said the China-Ireland strategic partnership for mutually beneficial cooperation has increasingly deepened especially under Chinese President Xi Jinping and Irish President Michael Higgins.

According to Xinhua News Agency, Li said it is hoped that Ireland will play a greater role in promoting the sound and stable development of China-Europe relations.

Beijing will implement a one-sided visa-free policy for citizens from Ireland, Li announced in Ireland as he concluded his four-day trip to Europe.

Varadkar said China has an "indispensable" global role in overcoming various challenges, from climate change to security issues.

"We want to have a very strong and constructive relationship with China. One based on trust and respect, and one informed by our values and the multilateral system in which we're both stakeholders," he said.

He said Ireland is ready to expand two-way investment with China and strengthen bilateral cooperation in fields such as agriculture, food, innovation and green development.

"Of course, we won’t find agreement on everything, but I hope we’ll always speak frankly and respectfully to each other and candidly, as we did today," he added.

Irish beef exports to China will also resume immediately after exports were suspended last year due to the detection of an atypical case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a cow during routine Department of Agriculture tests, The Irish Times reported.

Varadkar said the reopening was "imminent" and the Department of Agriculture later confirmed the move had already happened.

Ireland’s beef exports to China were worth nearly €40 million ($43.5 million) in 2019 ahead of the previous suspension.