On November 27, Yang Wanming, President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), met with Nicholas O'Brien, Ambassador of Ireland to China, at the CPAFFC. The two sides held in-depth discusses on topics of common concern such as China-Ireland relations, people-to-people friendship, and practical cooperation.
Yang Wanming congratulated Ambassador Nicholas O'Brien on his new appointment and spoke highly of the progress in China-Ireland relations. He noted that this year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two nations. Under the strategic guidance and joint promotion of their respective heads of state, China and Ireland have achieved sound and steady growth in bilateral relations, marked by fruitful cooperation across various fields. Yang emphasized that the CPAFFC will continue to maintain close communication with the Embassy of Ireland in China and work to provide active support and valuable platforms for enhancing China-Ireland subnational cooperation, enriching people-to-people exchanges, and boosting youth exchanges. He reaffirmed the CPAFFC's commitment to contributing people's strength to the China-Ireland strategic partnership for mutually beneficial cooperation.
Ambassador Nicholas O'Brien expressed his gratitude to President Yang for the meeting and praised the deep and enduring friendship between Ireland and China, reaffirming Ireland's commitment to the one-China principle. He highlighted the frequent high-level exchange between the two nations in recent years and the increasing depth of bilateral cooperation in key areas such as economy, trade, culture, education, and people-to-people exchanges. The ambassador also commended the CPAFFC for its essential role in fostering Ireland-China relations and strengthening the friendship between the two peoples. Looking forward, Ambassador O'Brien expressed his willingness to work closely with the CPAFFC to further broaden and deepen friendly exchanges and cooperation between Ireland and China in all fields.
Director-General Hao Zhongwei and Deputy Director-General Zong Linhong of the Department of European and Asian Affairs of the CPAFFC attended the meeting.
