On March 16, Eamon Ryan, the Minister for the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications and the Department of Transport of Ireland, and Ann Derwin, the Ambassador of Ireland to China, visited the Beijing University of Technology (BJUT). Nie Zuoren, President of BJUT, with the faculty of the International Office and Beijing-Dublin International College at BJUT (BDIC), met with the delegation.

President Nie Zuoren warmly welcomed Eamon Ryan and Ann Derwin, and introduced the history and current development of the university. He pointed out that internationalization is the path to becoming a world-class university, which BJUT has been adhering to for years. After 11 years of rapid development, Beijing-Dublin International College at BJUT has become an excellent example of international joint education and a landmark of long-term friendly relations between China and Ireland. In the future, BJUT will continue to deepen exchanges and cooperation with Irish universities and institutions, making more significant contributions to the educational exchanges between the two countries and the friendship between the two peoples.

Ann Derwin thanked BJUT for its warm reception and introduced the Irish delegation. Ryan spoke highly of the fruitful cooperation between BJUT and Irish institutions and the major achievements of BDIC in the past 11 years. He said that the Irish government attaches great importance to the partnership between China and Ireland and will continue to push forward the cooperation in economy, trade, culture, and education to enhance the Ireland-China friendship.

After the meeting, Ryan delivered a keynote speech to the faculty members and students of BDIC. He talked about climate change and other serious challenges facing the world and Ireland's role in energy transition, the digital revolution, and transportation decarbonization, acknowledging the vast potential of China-Irish cooperation in areas like carbon neutrality, energy and environment, information technology, and urban transportation. He hoped that the students could make full use of the resources of BDIC, strengthen their disciplinary study, and strive to become high-end talents with global vision and professional skills. He also encouraged students to devote themselves to China-Irish cooperation and global development.