Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping met Monday with leaders of the Irish Parliament in Dublin and stressed the importance of parliamentary cooperation for the promotion of bilateral relations.
Xi met the same day with Sean Barrett, President of Dail Eireann (lower house of parliament), and Paddy Burke, Chairman of Seanad Éireann (Upper House) of Ireland.
“China and Ireland have a long friendship based on mutual respect. Both countries share common characteristics resulted in the commitment to education and agriculture as well as conventional wisdom. Sino-Irish Links continue to tighten dynamically in 2011,” said Xi, adding that China was the largest trading partner of Ireland in Asia in for five consecutive years.
The development of relations between Beijing and Dublin shows that the differences between the two countries in terms of cultural tradition and social system are far from being a barrier between the bonds of friendship, as both countries are linked with the spirit of equality, mutual trust and reciprocity, said Xi.
Parliamentary cooperation is an important component of bilateral relations, he said, recalling that for years, the Parliament of Ireland has never given up its one-China policy by developing relations between the two countries.
The Chinese vice president also hoped that the legislative bodies of both countries step up their communications by taking full advantage of the China-Ireland friendship.
After recalling the great achievements of China over the past 30 years, Sean Barrett and Paddy Burke said that the Irish and Chinese peoples were united by their long history of civilization and their achievements in promoting common development.
Moreover, Burke praised the contributions of the Irish people to the deepening of the Irish-Chinese friendship, hoping that Ireland and China further strengthen their cooperation in a new context.