'Ireland is the place in the EU to do business' - Gilmore

Posted on February 20, 2012 at 11:30 AM

The Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore has said that the visit to Ireland by China's vice-President Jinping, the only European stop in the visit, signals that 'Ireland is the place in the EU with which to do business".

During the three day visit, which finishes today, a number of trade agreements were signed such as a memorandum of understanding on co-operation between the business sectors in both countries, and the establishment of a working group to facilitate future investment opportunities. The historical visit has also allowed Ireland to showcase the very best of its agriculture, sport and dance.

"China has a population of 1.3 billion, almost three times the entire European Union. It has a very high level of economic growth and a growing level of consumer activity. We are putting a big emphasis on (a) getting more trade with China; (b) getting more Irish companies to have business interests in China - we have seen a 300 per cent increase over the last couple of years; (c) increasing the level of Chinese investment here in Ireland, the Tánaiste said.

This visit heralds only the beginning of enhanced relations between the two countries; plans are now underway for senior members of Government to visit to China in the coming months.

The visit of Vice President Jinping has resulted from a culmination of work spearheaded by the Government since last year. As part of this strategy the Government is focusing on promoting trade links with BRIC countries, with as strong emphasis on developing China trade links.

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