Zeng Peiyan, Vice Premier of the State Council of China, who was paying an official visit to Ireland, met with the Irish entrepreneurs in Dublin and delivered a speech during the meeting on September 26, 2006. Zeng pointed out that China adopts an opening-up strategy featuring mutual benefit and win-win cooperation and it is in the interest of both sides to strengthen the relations between China and EU countries including Ireland. It is hoped that the entrepreneurs of both countries could make concerted efforts to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in high and new-tech areas and between small and medium-sized enterprises and expand bilateral trade and investment.

Zeng said that although located far away from each other China and Ireland enjoy close cooperation in the economic and technological areas. Last year, the prime ministers of the two countries set the goal of doubling the bilateral trade volume of 2004 by the year 2010. To that end both sides should expand trading areas, increase mutual investment, broaden cooperation scope and improve the level of bilateral economic and trade cooperation.

He also pointed out that China and Ireland should strengthen the cooperation in the high and new-tech areas. Ireland is well known as the Silicon Valley of Europe while China has fairly sound industrial foundation and rich human resources in the high and new-tech areas. It is hope that the enterprises, R&D organizations and institutes of higher education of both countries could further strengthen exchanges, make full use of such R&D funds as the China/Ireland Science and Technology Research Fund and the EU Funds and consolidate cooperation in the fields of information, biology, new materials, energy saving and environmental protection. China is willing to learn from the successful experiences of Ireland in developing the software and biomedicine industries and carry out effective exchanges and cooperation with Ireland in such areas as software service outsourcing, IT enterprises collaboration and training of professionals.

Zeng highlighted that the two governments should continue to advance trade and investment liberalization, strengthen cooperation in reducing barriers to technology transfer and protecting intellectual property rights and create an equitable, fair, rational and open market environment for businesses. The two governments should also take such measures as policy incentives and fiscal and financial support to encourage the enterprises to establish long-term and stable partnership. The Chinese government welcomes Irish enterprises to increase investment in China and participate in the implementation of China's strategy of developing the western region and rejuvenating the old industrial bases in the northeastern region. It also encourages more Chinese enterprises to invest in Ireland.

With regard to whether the Irish entrepreneurs have the chance to participate in China's environmental protection program, which is also a concern of Irish entrepreneurs, Zeng said that the Chinese government establishes the environmental protection as a basic national policy and is committed to building a resource-saving and environment-friendly society. Ireland has rich experience and advanced technologies in environmental protection. We welcome related Irish agencies and enterprises to participate in China's environmental protection undertaking and carry out exchanges and cooperation in such areas as pollution prevention and treatment, protection of natural ecology and bio-diversity, coping with climate change, developing the environmental science and the environmental protection industry so as to contribute to protecting the common homeland of mankind.