Chinese and Irish leaders met in Beijing on Monday to strengthen strategic communication and expand practical cooperation. Their conversation aims to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes for both countries.
Chinese President Xi Jinping did not state what cooperation they are interested in furthering in their opening remarks at their meeting at the Great Hall of the People. However, they underscored mutual respect and the achievement of bilateral results as “valuable experiences for the long-term, stable development of China-Ireland ties”.
China’s relations with Brussels struggle, but China has shown growing interest in engaging with other European countries. Michael Martin, who is the first Irish Taoiseach to visit Beijing in 14 years, said that Ireland acknowledged China’s “indispensable role” in the world, praising its role in peacekeeping efforts. Martin said on trade ties with China, “We believe it’s fundamental that we try and work towards open trade, recognising the interdependence of the world.”
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Martin visited after Beijing imposed tariffs on EU dairy products, putting provisional duties of upto 42.7 per cent. This is a series of measures targeting EU exports, seen as retaliation for the bloc’s electric-vehicle tariffs. Europe has many of the largest dairy exporters; one of them is Ireland, which exports over 90 per cent of the output from its family farms, with trade worth 6 billion euros ($7.02 billion). Ireland was among the countries that voted in favour of tariffs on Chinese EVs.
