China seeks to enhance ties with Ireland to boost relations with EU

BEIJING, Jan 5 (Reuters) – China is keen on expanding economic and trade cooperation with Ireland while aiming for mutually beneficial results, Chinese President Xi Jinping told the Irish prime minister on Monday, positioning stronger bilateral ties as a way to also boost relations with the European Union.

Xi emphasised mutual respect and achieving win-win outcomes as “valuable experiences” for long-term and stable development of China-Ireland ties in his opening remarks at a meeting with Prime Minister Micheal Martin at the Great Hall of the People, a media pool report showed.

China has shown growing interest in engaging with European Union countries individually as ties with Brussels remain frosty. Beijing has also treated bilateral meetings as a means for conveying its views on relations with the EU.

China and the EU should focus on the long term, take an objective and rational approach to their differences, and look towards win-win cooperation, Xi told Martin, according to state news agency Xinhua.

“It is hoped that Ireland will play a constructive role in the healthy and stable development of China-EU relations,” Xi said, referencing Ireland assuming the rotating presidency of the EU Council in the latter half of this year.

China is interested in cooperating with Ireland in fields such as artificial intelligence, digital economy, pharmaceuticals as well as tourism, Xinhua reported citing Xi, who also urged more coordination and cooperation in international affairs to advocate for multilateralism and international justice.

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 his discussions with Chinese 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, with farms shipping more than 90% of their output, worth about 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.

(Reporting by Liz Lee; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Kate Mayberry)