Trade and Ukraine top Irish agenda as China steps up engagement with Europe

Ireland’s foreign minister called on Beijing to ensure a level economic playing field and use its influence over Moscow to help end the war in Ukraine, in talks with his visiting Chinese counterpart on Monday.

Simon Harris, the Irish minister for foreign affairs and trade, said he raised “a number of trade issues of importance to Ireland” during the nearly two hours of talks with Wang Yi in Dublin.

“I stressed our interest in maintaining and strengthening that [economic] relationship, on the basis of the global multilateral trading system, with transparent, equitable and mutually agreed parameters and a level playing field,” an Irish government statement quoted him as saying.

A Chinese foreign ministry release quoted Harris as saying Dublin supported multilateral and free trade, opposed “decoupling” and was committed to playing a “constructive” role in fostering the European Union’s cooperation with China.

Harris also stressed the need for Ukraine to be a party to any peace talks about Russia’s invasion of its neighbour.

  

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