Chinese Premier's visit ‘a great opportunity’ to end Irish beef ban

China’s second most powerful politician after President Xi Jinping, Premier Li meets Mr Varadkar for bi-lateral talks in Dublin this Wednesday (January 17).

Martin Murray, the Executive Director of Asia Matters, said he is hoping the resumption of Irish beef exports is high on the agenda when the two leaders meet for a working lunch at Farmleigh House.

Beef exports from Ireland to China were suspended when a case of atypical BSE (mad cow disease), was discovered by Irish veterinary officials two months ago.

The case, in a cow over 10-years-old, had not entered the food chain here.

“As we prepare to celebrate 45 years of diplomatic relations between our country and China, I welcome the visit of the Chinese Premier to Ireland,” said Mr Murray, whose organisation promotes business and cultural links between Ireland and Asian economies.

“The talks between Mr Varadkar and Premier Li Qiang in Dublin will not only be a milestone event to drive business development, they will also provide a great opportunity to re-open the Chinese market to Irish beef.”

Irish beef exports to China were worth almost €40 million in 2019.

Mr Murray said that Irish exports to China had soared to record levels following the last visit to Ireland by a high-ranking Chinese government official.

That was in 2012, when President Xi enjoyed a three-day trade visit here when he was his country’s Vice-President.

“China is now Ireland's fourth largest trade partner, the fifth largest goods export market and the seventh largest service export destination,” Mr Murray said.

“Since President Xi was here just over a decade ago, bilateral trade has significantly grown in Ireland’s favour from €3.7 billion in 2014 to a record €25.3 billion in 2022.

“Irish exports to China have significantly grown to €14 billion with the agri-food sector alone achieving €722 million in exports to China in 2022, an increase of 76% over the last decade.”

At an Asia Matters conference in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, last October, the Secretary General at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE), Declan Hughes, revealed that two-way trade between this country and Asia is now worth €120 billion.

This figure had been achieved two years ahead of schedule.

“Chinese investment in Ireland is almost €10 billion and has created 5,000 quality jobs, with Tik Tok alone employing almost 3,000 people,” Mr Murray added.

Premier Li will visit Ireland after speaking at the opening ceremony of the World Economic Forum at Davos in Switzerland.

He will be the first high-ranking Chinese government official to attend the annual gathering since President Xi in 2017.