China’s foreign minister has arrived in Ireland for talks on trade and cultural links between the two countries.
CGTN’s Li Jianhua reports from Dublin.
#Ireland #China #bilateralrelations
CGTN’s Li Jianhua reports from Dublin.
#Ireland #China #bilateralrelations
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NewsTranscript
00:00Sally, you're right, Wang Yi is in Dublin and tomorrow he's expected to meet the Prime
00:04Minister and Deputy Prime Minister in the building behind me, that's the Department
00:09of Foreign Affairs of Ireland. Of course, tomorrow, trade will be on top of the agenda
00:14as trade is considered the cornerstone of bilateral relations between Ireland and China
00:20and China is the largest trading partner of Ireland in the context of Asia. Ireland is
00:26being part of the EU is maintaining this trade surplus with China, making it one of
00:32the very few European countries to do so and some of its key exports to China include pharmaceuticals,
00:38medical devices, microchips and agricultural products and for China, Ireland is considered
00:44a gateway to Europe, especially after Brexit and China's investment in the country has
00:51been booming over the past decades. So, some of the biggest companies include Huawei. Huawei,
00:58the tech giant from China, arrived in the country about 20 years ago. Now, according
01:02to reports, the company is contributing about 4.7 billion US dollars between 2024 and 2030.
01:10Some of the other big names from China include Xi Ying, TiMu and of course, TikTok. So, some
01:17of the reasons why China as well as other countries is investing so much in Ireland
01:25is because Ireland's comparatively lower corporate tax rate, which stands at about 12.5%, much
01:32lower than many other EU countries and also the country is host of many skilled workforce
01:39and of course, it is not all smooth sailing between Ireland and China. Ireland was one
01:44of the 10 EU countries that voted in favour of imposing additional tariffs on Chinese-made
01:52EVs. So, we'll see whether they will talk about that tomorrow. Also, it's becoming easier
01:58for Irish people to visit China, isn't it? Yeah, you're right. It is much easier now
02:05for Irish to visit China ever since China's Premier Li Cheng's visit in January to Ireland
02:12last year, where he announced a visa-free policy for Ireland. And these two countries
02:17have enjoyed rather, I would say, cordial relationship ever since the establishment
02:22of their diplomatic ties back in 1979. That was also the year when China started the reform
02:28and opening up policy, when China started to link its economy with the rest of the world,
02:34which led to a surge of China's exports and China's economic boom, of course. And also
02:40we know that trade policies and also trade ties could also boost cultural exchanges.