ASIA BRIEFING:THE POSTMORTEMS from the visit to Ireland by China's anointed leader, vice-president Xi Jinping, will continue until the Taoiseach heads to China next month to see if the Asian superpower delivers on the positive sentiments the trip generated. In terms of answering the still baffling "Why Ireland?" question, a key reason was that Xi wanted to underline China's free trade credentials. And among top cadres, free trade is synonymous with Shannon.

This is why Xi went to the Shannon Free Zone, first visited in 1980 by Jiang Zemin, the former Communist Party chief but then a vice-minister of the State Imports and Exports Administration. “As the first country to establish a free trade zone, Ireland has a lot of experience to offer concerning the development of an open economy,” foreign minister Yang Jiechi said after the visit.

Before the visit, Chinese officials said that Shannon’s free-trade area, set up in 1959, was a model for the Special Economic Zones in southern China, which were the springboard for China’s growth.

Former supreme leader Deng Xiaoping visited Shenzhen Special Economic Zone 20 years ago, which gave a major boost to reform. Just look at the roll-call of those who have gone to Shannon; two prime ministers, Wen Jiabao and Zhu Rongji, and two vice prime ministers, Huang Ju and Zeng Peiyan. Mr Xi also met Vincent Cunnane, CEO of Shannon Development.