On May 27, Ambassador Zhao Xiyuan met with former European Union Commissioner for Trade and Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Phil Hogan. The two sides engaged in friendly exchanges on strengthening coordination and cooperation between China and Ireland in international organizations.  

Ambassador Zhao said, in recent years, cooperation between China and Ireland in various fields has become increasingly close. Both countries share a broad consensus on supporting multilateralism and free trade. China looks forward to working with Mr. Hogan and other Irish friends to promote the healthy and stable China-EU relations.

Mr. Hogan fondly recalled his experiences of interacting and cooperating with the Chinese side during his tenure in the EU. He said that despite the current global situation of hunger and poverty in some regions, Europe values China's influence as the world's largest food producer. He looks forward to strengthening coordination and cooperation with China through bilateral and multilateral channels to jointly address international challenges.