ISTANBUL: China’s Premier Li Qiang said Wednesday that Beijing will implement a one-sided visa-free policy for citizens from Ireland.
He made the announcement during a trip to Dublin.
Li expressed hope that Ireland would “create a business environment that is open, fair, and non-discriminatory for Chinese companies,” during a meeting with his Irish counterpart, Leo Varadkar, according to a statement.
He urged Ireland to team up with China in supporting open global trade and genuine multilateralism.
Li also met Irish President Michael Higgins.
He concluded his four-day trip to Europe on Sunday.
Li announced similar unilateral visa-free treatment Monday to citizens from Switzerland during a trip to Bern, where he attended the World Economic Forum in Davos.
China granted 15-day visa-free entries in November to citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia.
From March, China and Thailand are expected to waive visa requirements for each other’s citizens.
Source: Anadolu Agency