Two community leaders from Northern Ireland have hailed the importance of local relations with China, which they say help improve diversity, the economy and the education systems in their areas.

CGTN spoke to the lord mayor of Belfast, Kate Nicholl, and the mayor of Mid and East Antrim, William McCaughey, to mark the upcoming 50th anniversary of full diplomatic relations between the UK and China.

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They described how connections between business and universities have remained resilient despite the impact of the pandemic and the tensions between national governments in London and Beijing.

"China is, of course, a massive market and we would be very, very keen to see China working ... very collaboratively to try to increase the market support for these small companies that we we have in Northern Ireland," said McCaughey, who described the importance of exports of green transport solutions and agricultural products for businesses in his area.

Nicholl added: "I'm very conscious of the role that the Chinese community plays in our city: it's one of the oldest ethnic communities in the city and region and they've contributed significantly not just to our ethnic diversity, but in their cultural input, the job creation and business investment."

Work out differences

McCaughey said the implementation of the Brexit protocol governing trade rules for Northern Ireland had created challenges and he urged the British and Chinese governments to cooperate to improve the environment for the broader relations.

"We're a part of the United Kingdom and it's really going to [take] the British and Chinese governments to work out the differences they have. But we're certainly up to develop our links and our ties with our Chinese counterparts," he said.

Both leaders passed on their best wishes ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday.