REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT HUNNAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ZONE SATURDAY, 11 OCTOBER, 2003
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT HUNNAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ZONE SATURDAY, 11 OCTOBER, 2003
Mr Mayor, Mr Vice-Mayor, Minister, Excellencies, Distinguished Guests,
Ireland and, indeed, the entire Western world, would be a duller place if it lacked all the things that China has invented or provided. What would our gardens look like if the plants that originally came from China were suddenly to disappear? How could we bear the trials of life without tea? Could we imagine our tables without porcelain or our clothes without that touch of luxury that silk brings? How much poorer would we be if we had never seen the beautiful glassware, the carvings in jade or the whole host of arts in which China excels?
Ireland is a green land - there is a song that claims forty shades of the colour – but it would be an almost unrelieved green were it not for the plants that originally came from China. Many were brought to Europe, including Ireland, in the 18th century. These included tea roses, chrysanthemums, wisteria, primula, forsythia and rhododendrons.
One of the people, who expanded Europe’s knowledge of China’s flora, was Augustine Henry, a fellow county man of my own and a graduate of my own University, Queen’s University Belfast. Henry, a native of Cookstown, Co. Antrim, came to China in 1881 as an Assistant Medical Officer in the Chinese Imperial Customs Service.
I do not know if Augustine Henry was a good doctor, but being a Queen’s graduate, he had to be. However, he certainly had an insatiable thirst for knowledge. He was sent to Ichang to find medicinal plants and he developed a great love of botany. In fifteen years, he expanded our knowledge of China’s flora by sending back to Europe 158,000 specimens of 3,000 species. His work in China was recognized when one of the buildings of the Fan Memorial Institute of Biology and Botany in Beijing was dedicated to him.
I mention these examples of cross-fertilisation only to underline that our sharing of knowledge and the impact of trade go back a long way and can enhance our landscapes and civilizations. This afternoon, here in the Hunnan Economic Development Zone in the suitably named 21st Century Building, I hope that we can take the co-operation into our new century.
I, personally, am captivated by China, its people and culture. What I have seen and heard since my arrival in Beijing on Wednesday has reinforced my view of China as a very dynamic nation, which is now taking its rightful place as a leader in the world economy.
I am not alone in recognizing the importance and vibrancy of China and its people. I am accompanied by the largest trade delegation ever to leave Ireland with over eighty companies represented. In Beijing and Shenyang I have been impressed by the real interest these companies are showing in the Chinese market and their desire to do business here. My strong sense is that Irish and Chinese business people understand each other well. We both value personal contact and building up good relationships, we think it is important to know and trust our partners and, at the end of the day, we believe in driving hard but fair bargains.
As I mentioned to the Mayor earlier today, it is a happy coincidence that at the point when the Chinese authorities are giving special attention to this region, that Irish companies and educational institutions should quite independently have spotted business opportunities they wish to pursue.
One of these companies, Glen Dimplex, plans to manufacture electric storage heaters in a joint venture with Liaoning Power Development Company and Shenyang Huli Energy Limited. An investment of 10 million euros has already been made and the company hopes eventually to employ up to 500 people. This is the largest single Irish investment in Asia to date and I am delighted that Noel Dempsey, Minister for Education and Science, performed the official opening of the facility earlier this afternoon.
I am pleased that I have just witnessed the signing of three important co‑operation agreements. In addition to the Glen Dimplex agreement, we have the agreement between Irish e-learning company, Skillsoft, which is developing a cooperative arrangement with Neusoft, one of the largest software companies in China.
Furthermore, recognizing the importance which the education sector is playing in building relations between Ireland and China, Dublin University, Ireland’s oldest university, has signed an agreement with Sea Rich, a private Chinese company.
I hope that my visit to Shenyang will contribute, in a small way, to closer understanding between the people of Ireland and the citizens of China’s fourth largest city. I know that the Mayor and his colleagues are committed to ensuring that lasting relationships are built and I can assure them that we in Ireland are keen to improve and deepen our already excellent relations.
Everyone who has been on this visit with me, particularly those making their first visit to China, will bring home special memories. We also hope to bring home to Ireland some of the energy and enthusiasm that marks out the Chinese people and which has so impressed those of us fortunate enough to witness the developments here in Shenyang and elsewhere in China.