China is willing to further trade ties with Ireland and welcomes Irish enterprises to participate in Chinese economic progress, said Chinese Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai in Beijing Thursday.

Bo told visiting Irish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Employment Mary Harney that Sino-Irish trade developed very quickly, recording a US$2.34 billion trade volume last year, up 60.5 percent year-on-year, one of the highest growths in China's European Union trade partners.

Sino-Irish trade has huge potential, Bo said. Ireland is cutting-edge in many aspects such as education and software and China will enhance cooperation in those sectors.

China witnessed huge success in economic development and Ireland is very interested in expanding trade with China, said the Irish official.

The Irish government encourages enterprises to invest in China and do business with their Chinese partners. China's accession to the World Trade Organization also benefited the Irish business circle, Harney said.

Bo urged the European Union to grant China the full market economy status to facilitate Sino-EU trade and Harney said that as it holds the EU presidency in the first half of this year, Ireland will actively promote solving the issue at an early date.
 
(Xinhua News Agency March 19, 2004)