Political advisor meets with Irish parliament leaders

BEIJING - Top Chinese political advisor Yu Zhengsheng met with Irish parliamentary leaders Sean Barrett and Paddy Burke in Beijing on Tuesday.

Barrett and Burke, chairmen of Dail Eireann and Seanad Eireann, the two houses of the Irish parliament, are paying a week-long visit to China as guests of Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislature.

In their meeting at the Great Hall of the People in downtown Beijing, Yu, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), said China-Ireland relations are currently at a historical best, citing the rapid, comprehensive and high-level growth of bilateral relations in recent years.

China and Ireland have great potential and a broad future for cooperation, as the two countries' advantages are complementary, Yu said.

Yu underscored China's commitment to developing relations with Ireland, proposing that the two countries work more closely in trade and agriculture and step up region-to-region cooperation.

Yu said the new CPPCC would like to develop friendly relations with the two houses of the Irish parliament, increase exchanges between specialized committees and boost the growth of the China-Ireland mutually-beneficial partnership.

Barrett and Burke said the Ireland-China friendship is deeply rooted in the hearts of both peoples.

They said Ireland expects to work more closely with China to boost substantive cooperation, and the two houses of the Irish parliament would like to do more positive work.