ISTANBUL

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged Ireland to “expand” bilateral ties, saying the island nation has “benefited” from cooperation with Beijing.

Wang made the remarks during meetings with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin and Foreign Minister Simon Harris on Monday, according to a statement from Beijing and Chinese state media.

This was Wang's first visit to Ireland as foreign minister.

Relations between the two countries hold “great potential and broad space,” Wang said, adding that China is “willing to work with Ireland to… become partners of mutual trust, mutual respect, and mutual achievement,” as this year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and the EU.

He stressed the need for both sides to “adhere to the partnership positioning, properly handle differences, and work together to promote the sustained and healthy development of China-EU relations.”

"Both China and Ireland are firm defenders of multilateralism and free trade," he said. "Under the current circumstances, China is willing to work with Ireland and the EU in the spirit of equality and mutual respect, upholding the principles of openness, inclusiveness, and win-win cooperation to enhance dialogue, build trust, and resolve differences."

Ireland is one of the few European countries with a trade surplus with China, while Beijing remains Ireland’s largest trade partner in Asia.

Before flying to the US, where he will chair a high-level UN Security Council meeting in New York, Wang told Irish leaders that China and the EU were “important forces in the multipolar world.”

​​​​​​​“China is willing to work with all parties, including Europe, to jointly safeguard the authority of the UN, abide by the basic norms of international relations, resist unilateralism, and oppose a return to the ‘law of the jungle’,” he said.