Tight security is in place in Co Kerry for the arrival today of Mr Zhu Rongji, the Premier of the People's Republic of China, and Madame Lao An.
Mr Zhu and a party of about 100 will arrive at Kerry Airport shortly before midday and transfer to the five-star Hotel Europe on the shores of Lough Leane, near Killarney.
During the afternoon, Mr Zhu will visit Fexco, the financial and teleservices centre in Killorglin. While there it is understood that he will oversee a currency transaction to China using the Western Union money-transfer service operated by the company.
The Premier will also be attending a presentation by Shannon Development.
Extra gardai have been drafted in from adjoining districts in one of the tightest security operations ever mounted in Co Kerry, according to a senior Garda source.
For the first time since the foot-and-mouth restrictions the whole of Killarney National Park will be closed to the public.
The Premier is due to visit Muckross House shortly after 5 p.m., and the entire area around the house and gardens had been sealed off by last night.
The traditional farms, restaurants and craftshops, which attract up to 12,000 visitors a day during the summer, will remain closed for the day.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, is to host a dinner for the Chinese delegation in the Hotel Europe, where the party will be staying overnight.
Mr Michael Healy-Rae, a member of Kerry County Council, said that he would not be welcoming Mr Zhu because of China's one-child policy and its "attitude to women".
There will, however, be a welcome sign on the window of Killorglin's only Chinese restaurant. Hong Kong-born Mr Jimmy Lee opened the Harmony Chinese Restaurant in the town less than a year ago and says he has been following Mr Zhu's attempts to bring about reform in China.