AI and tourism: China wants more cooperation with the Union

Chinese President Xi Jinping confirmed on Monday that China is interested in expanding economic and trade cooperation with Ireland, while calling for stronger relations with the European Union. In a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin in Beijing, he stressed the importance of mutual respect and win-win cooperation as the key to stable bilateral relations.

Xi expressed the hope that Ireland, which will assume the presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of the year, will contribute to the healthy development of Sino-European relations. He is particularly interested in cooperation in areas such as artificial intelligence, the digital economy, the pharmaceutical industry and tourism.

Martin, the first Irish prime minister to visit China in 14 years, described China as an "indispensable player" on the world stage and supported the principles of open trade.

The visit came shortly after Beijing imposed tariffs of up to 42.7 per cent on dairy products from the Union - including those from Ireland - in response to European Union tariffs on Chinese electric cars. Ireland is one of Europe's largest exporters of dairy products and has been hit hard by the Chinese counter-measure.

(reuters, max)