Ireland is willing to expand cooperation with China in various fields such as economy, trade, tourism, education and culture, said Ireland's Prime Minister Bertie Ahern Wednesday in Beijing.

Ireland and China are complementary in many fields, including software development, education, tourism and food research, Ahern told a press conference. He said economic and trade cooperation between the two sides enjoy a promising prospect.

Irish ministers in charge of affairs concerned with trade, education and agriculture told press that Ireland would continue to focus on promoting cooperation with China, in a bid to lift the bilateral ties into a new high.

"Both Ireland and China affirmed their commitment during this tour to strengthen cooperation in trade, education, culture and tourism," said Irish Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Employment Michael Martin.

Ahern and his delegation, consisting of more than 200 entrepreneurs, had signed more than 40 agreements and memorandums of understanding on enhancing cooperation with China. These have covered such fields as chemical industry, information technology, telecommunication, education.

All these agreements will bring more opportunities for Ireland's entrepreneurs to develop their business in China, officials said.

Statistics show that China had become Ireland's second largest export destination in Asia-Pacific region. The bilateral trade volume between Ireland and China reached 3 billion euros (about 3.9 billion US dollars) in 2004. The two sides will endeavor to double their trade volume in next three to five years, Martin noted.