Ambassador Zhao Xiyuan Welcomes Former Taoiseach Enda Kenny to the Residence

2026-05-07 20:57

On May 6, former Taoiseach Enda Kenny visited the Embassy of China in Dublin in a personal capacity at the invitation of Ambassador Zhao Xiyuan. They had friendly exchanges on China-Ireland relations and international issues of mutual interest. They explored the many historic relationships between Ireland and China.

During the meeting, Mr. Kenny fondly recalled his interactions with Chinese leaders during his tenure as Taoiseach. He is glad to see the healthy development of Ireland-China relations in recent years, noting that the Irish government and people regard China as a friendly partner. He further highlighted the broad prospects for bilateral cooperation in sectors such as clean energy, bio-medicine, artificial intelligence and higher education.

He noted the recent successful visit of Taoiseach Micheál Martin to China, and his meeting with President Xi.

Ambassador Zhao highly appreciated Mr. Kenny’s enduring contributions to enhancing friendly exchanges between China and Ireland. He noted that the establishment of the strategic partnership for mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Ireland during his tenure as Taoiseach laid a solid foundation for deepening bilateral relations and pragmatic cooperation across various fields. Ambassador Zhao affirmed that China looks forward to working with Mr. Kenny and other Irish friends to achieve further fruitful results in mutually beneficial cooperation.