On the afternoon of January 23, 2002, Premier Zhu Rongji met with visiting Irish Foreign Minister Brian Cowen at the Great Hall of the People, during which they held talks in a friendly and cordial manner.

Extending welcome to Cowen, Zhu recalled his visit to Ireland last September. He said he was pleased to see that the consensus and ideas agreed by him and Irish leaders on expanding bilateral cooperation during his previous Irish tour have been gradually implemented. He noted that China hopes to increase contacts with Ireland and would like more people from different walks of life of Ireland to visit China to enhance mutual understanding. He hoped the two sides will explore new ways and means for bilateral cooperation and promote mutually beneficial cooperation in all fields.

Zhu asked Cowen to convey his cordial greetings and best wishes to Irish President McAleese and Prime Minister Ahern.

Thanking Zhu for meeting with him, Cowen conveyed the cordial greetings from President McAleese and Prime Minister Ahern to President Jiang Zemin and Premier Zhu Rongji. He said that cooperation between Ireland and China has made headway since the prime ministers of the two countries paid reciprocal visits. He said that Ireland attaches great importance to its ties with China and hopes to know more about the achievements China and the Chinese government have made and further expand exchanges and cooperation with China, cooperation in trade and economic areas in particular.

Vice Foreign Minister Qiao Zhonghuai was present at the meeting.