Li Qiang, Prime Minister of China, arrived in Dublin on Tuesday where he was met by Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan and Irish Ambassador to Beijing Ann Derwin.
On Wednesday morning, Irish President Michael D. Higgins and his wife Sabina gave him a powerful welcome at his official residence, Aras an Uachtarain, in Phoenix Park, Dublin. Mr. Li told them he was “very pleased” to meet them and conveyed greetings from Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Warmly welcoming Mr. Li to the State Reception Hall, Mr. Higgins said he remembered his state visit to China and Xi Jinping’s visit to Ireland in 2012 when he was Vice President. Mr. Higgins said his visit to China in 2014 gave him the opportunity to “hold discussions on many topics and also to visit parts of the People’s Republic of China”. He said:
I very much welcome you, premier, and all of those travelling with you.
Mr. Li noted that Mr. Higgins had previously visited China and said:
You also had an in-depth exchange of views and a frank meeting with President Xi, and reached common understanding on a wide range of issues. Over the years our results-oriented co-operation has made steady progress and produced rich fruit. Our relations have set a good example of mutually beneficial co-operation between countries that are different in political systems, cultural divisions and geographic size.
Mr. Li will attend a bilateral meeting with Irish premier Leo Varadkar on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Beef is expected to be on the menu at the working lunch amid a ban on exports of the meat from Ireland to China. China suspended beef imports from Ireland when Irish veterinarians discovered a case of atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease) in November.
Mr Lee travelled to Ireland after speaking at the opening ceremony of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
