Chinese President Hu Jintao and visiting Irish President Mary McAleese pledged in Beijing Thursday to enhance bilateral ties in their official talks.

Hu made a four-point proposal for strengthening Sino-Irish relations:

-- Enhance and develop political ties by maintaining high-level exchanges, expanding inter-governmental and inter-parliamentary communication, and actively developing political dialog and consultations at various levels.

-- Expand and deepen economic cooperation. China welcomes more Irish business people to invest in China and encourages competent Chinese enterprises to participate in infrastructure construction in Ireland.

-- Strengthen scientific and technological and cultural and educational exchanges, make efforts to ensure the smooth operation of the joint fund for science and technology and the sound operation of a cultural festival in the other's territory next year, and promote a healthy and orderly development of educational exchanges and cooperation.

-- Properly handle differences and expand consensus between the two countries so as to make Sino-Irish ties a model of state-to-state relations between countries of different social systems.

McAleese agreed to the proposal and said the Irish side is willing to work with the Chinese side for the promotion and expansion of bilateral cooperation in political, economic, educational, scientific and technological, and cultural areas.

During the talks, Hu expressed appreciation of the Irish government's adherence to the one-China policy and its support of China's reunification cause.

China respects the development path chosen by the Irish people according to Ireland's own national conditions, Hu said.

Hu said that China and Ireland shared similar and identical views on a number of major international issues and common interests in international affairs. He suggested both enhance consultation and cooperation for maintaining world peace, stability and development.

McAleese spoke highly of China's active role in international affairs, in particular in maintaining regional stability. Ireland will assume the rotating presidency of the European Union next year and will make its own efforts for pushing forward the bilateral relationship and enhancing coordination of the two sides in international affairs, she said.

McAleese is on her first state visit since she took office in 1997, at the invitation of Hu.
 
(Xinhua News Agency October 10, 2003)