On October 23, 2008, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao met at the Great Hall of the People with Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen and Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi, who are here to attend the seventh Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit to be held on Oct. 24 to 25.

When meeting with Cowen, Wen said there are no fundamental conflicts of interest or issues left over from history between China and Ireland and the two countries always hold friendly feelings towards each other. The year of 2009 marked the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Sino-Irish diplomatic relations, which gave the two nations an opportunity to enhance mutual understanding and trust through high-level exchanges and multi-level dialogues and push China-Ireland cooperation to a new level.

Ireland had great advantage in IT technology, while China had been adjusting its industrial structure and upgrading its products. The two nations should continue exploring new fields and ways of cooperation, enhance financial cooperation and achieve a win-win situation. Both sides should also strengthen cultural and personnel exchange to promote mutually beneficial cooperation in all other areas, he said.

Cowen said recent years have witnessed frequent high-level visits and exchanges and cooperation in all areas. The Irish government had looked at ties with China from a long-term perspective and taken China as the core nation of its Asian strategy. Ireland would like to work with China to tap the potentials for further cooperation and deepen exchanges and cooperation in trade, science and technology, education, culture, finance and agriculture to push forward Ireland-China and EU-China relations, said the Irish Prime Minister.

During his meeting with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Wen hailed the sound momentum in the development of bilateral ties. He said that China appreciates the Italian government's active efforts to promote cooperation with China and the development of China-EU relations. Wen said China is ready to maintain high-level visits and consultation at all levels and enhance coordination in international affairs. He called on the two sides to strengthen cooperation on environmental protection, new energy, urban construction and creative designs, step up the protection of IPR in both countries, and increase cultural exchanges to build up mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples. He stressed that the two countries should make joint efforts to make bilateral trade and investment grow continuously.

Berlusconi said Italy hopes to continue the good cooperation with China to advance the relationship towards comprehensive development. He said he admired China's great development achievements in recent years, and congratulated on China's success in the Beijing Olympic Games and the Shenzhou 7 manned space flight mission.