Thirty-one Years of Irish-Chinese Diplomatic Relations

By Bertie Ahern T.D.

n 2010, in the midst of economic turmoil, Irish society is enriched because of its close friendship with China and the Chinese people; a friendship that is based on mutual respect, cultural understanding and trust.

In my second year in office as Taoiseach (Prime Minister) I had the great privilege of visiting China and meeting then-Premier Zhu Rongji in September 1998 where we attended the signing ceremony of the civil aviation transportation agreement between our two governments. I found China and its people to be extremely welcoming and I am deeply conscious of the incredible cultural history of the country.

Ireland and the People’s Republic of China formally established diplomatic relations on June 22, 1979. In the 31 years that have followed, relations between our two countries have steadily grown. Following my visit to China in 1998 my government adopted the “Asia Strategy” which saw China as a priority country for engagement in the region with which I particularly wanted to build a solid and friendly relationship. As a result there has been a high level of exchange visits between our countries and I am very proud that thousands of young Chinese people continue to travel to Ireland to study every year.

As a result of the world financial crisis in 2008 Ireland has found it necessary to take significant steps to recover its competitive advantage on the international stage, stabilize and restructure the banking sector and set about restoring the fiscal position to within the parameters set down in the EU Growth and Stability Pact. Thankfully, the decisive action of the government is paying off and Ireland’s economy is on course to return to growth in the second-half of this year.

China has come a long way and is now a major economic force in the world. The growth that China has enjoyed over the last three decades is enabling it to expand opportunities for its people and increase its investment in technology, education and innovation. In many ways the economies of China and Ireland are highly complementary with Ireland having made significant strides in the areas of new technology and information technology over the past two decades.

I am proud that during my 11 years as Taoiseach I had the opportunity to meet regularly with Chinese leaders: President Jiang Zemin (1998, China); Vice Premier Li Lanqing (2000, Ireland); Premier Zhu Rongji (2000, ASEM Seoul); Premier Zhu Rongji (2002); Vice Premier Huang Ju (2004, Dublin); Premier Wen Jiabao (2005, China); President Hu Jintao (2005, China); Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan (2006, Ireland).

Cooperation between China and Ireland in areas of culture and education has been continuous. Our two countries also maintain close contacts on international and regional matters as part of the deep-rooted friendship between Ireland and China.

I hope that the warm and respectful relationship that has been built between our two countries and fostered over the last 31 years will continue for many years into the future and that the Irish people and the Chinese people will continue to be partners in the world and aspire to achieving great things.

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BERTIE AHERN T.D. was the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland from 1997 to 2008.