China’s second most powerful man told the Irish president that Sino-Ireland relations were a “good example of mutually beneficial cooperation” between the two countries.
Premier Li Qiang of the People’s Republic of China arrived in Dublin on Tuesday evening and was received by Transport Minister Eamon Ryan and Ireland’s Ambassador to Beijing Anne Darwin.
On Wednesday morning, he received a warm welcome from Irish President Michael D. Higgins and his wife Sabina at the official residence of Áras an Uachtaline in Phoenix Park, Dublin.
Mr. Li told them he was “very happy” to have known them and conveyed the greetings of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The two men shook hands, and Mr. Li asked Mr. Higgins about his visit to his home province of Zhejiang.
Mr Higgins warmly welcomed Mr Li in the state reception room and said he recalled his state visit to China in 2012, when he was vice president, and Mr Xi Jinping’s visit to Ireland. Mr. Xi became China’s president the following year.
Higgins said his visit to China in 2014 gave him the opportunity to “discuss many topics and visit parts of the People’s Republic of China.”
“I extend a warm welcome to you, Prime Minister, and to all of you traveling with us,” he said.
Mr. Li noted that Mr. Higgins had previously visited China, and said, “We had in-depth exchanges of views and frank talks with President Xi, and we reached common understanding on a wide range of issues.”
“Over the years, our results-oriented cooperation has made steady progress and produced rich results. It is a good example.”
Mr Lee then visited nearby Farmley House and met with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.
There he was met by a Lieutenant of the Guard of Honor from Limerick’s 12th Infantry Battalion.
The Irish Defense Forces band played while Mr Lee inspected the soldiers.
Mr Lee was due to hold bilateral talks with Mr Varadkar there on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the war in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Beef is expected to appear on working lunch menus amid a ban on meat exports from Ireland to China.
China suspended beef imports from Ireland after a case of atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease) was discovered by Irish veterinary authorities in November.
Li’s visit came after speaking at the opening ceremony of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
This is the first time a senior Chinese government official has attended the annual gathering since President Xi Jinping in 2017.
The visit comes amid efforts by EU officials and China to develop ties.
Although trade between China and the EU is strong and both regions are each other’s second-largest trading partners, political tensions remain.
China has drawn the ire of the European Union by taking a neutral stance on what most European countries see as Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
Some Western countries have also avoided or criticized the use of technology linked to the Chinese state due to security concerns, such as TikTok and Hikvision, which makes CCTV cameras used in the Irish parliament.
There was a heavy Garda presence around Phoenix Park, which was closed to the public until 7pm on Wednesday.