Representatives of the Shenzhen delegation said Ireland's advantages in bio-pharmacy, financial services and science and technology are highly compatible with Shenzhen's industrial development strategy of vigorously developing advanced manufacturing and promoting the integration of advanced manufacturing and modern service industries.

Nearly 30 Irish companies were operating in Shenzhen by the end of last year. Meanwhile, there are more than 40 Chinese companies in Ireland with over 3,000 employees and they have contributed to Ireland's economic and social development, Paraic Hayes, director of Asia Pacific at IDA Ireland, a government agency responsible for attracting foreign direct investment into the country, told Xinhua.

Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, also sent a delegation on investment promotion tours in Germany and Sweden last week, focusing on auto parts and healthcare. They also held promotion conferences to encourage European companies to deploy in Wuhan.

Hans Duisters, a Dutch winner of the 2022 Chinese Government Friendship Award and CEO of Jiangsu JITRI Sioux Technologies Co., Ltd in the eastern China city Suzhou, personally organized and received an economic and trade delegation from Suzhou in the Netherlands.

He expressed belief that further high-tech cooperation between the Netherlands and China will not only achieve mutual benefits and win-win results, but also make the world a better place.

(Xinhua reporters Zhang Yadong in London, Zhang Qi in Dublin, Liu Xinyu in Vienna, Shan Weiyi in Frankfurt, Wang Xiangjiang in The Hague, Yu Jiaxin, Guo Yuqi and Wei Donghua in Hangzhou also contributed to the story.)