The State had devoted less resources to developing relations with China than it had where Lesotho or Croatia were concerned, said Conor O'Clery, Asia Correspondent of The Irish Times, last night Giving the inaugural lecture in Newman House, Dublin, at the launch of UCD's new Centre for Asian Studies, he said the State's level of engagement with China had been "lethargic compared to similar European economies".
In 1996, when he arrived in Beijing, the Irish Embassy was run by three diplomats and there was one trade board executive who was based mainly in Hong Kong. And "almost alone among EU countries", Ireland had no representation in Shanghai, one of the world's biggest cities.
By comparison, Finland has 10 trade and diplomatic officials in China, Belgium has 11 and the Netherlands 12. These were "pretty typical".
He said following recommendations of the Asia strategy group, set up after the Taoiseach's visit to China in 1998, Enterprise Ireland offices were opened in Beijing and Shanghai, an extra senior diplomat had been sent to Beijing, a consulate was to open in Shanghai and a new embassy in Singapore. Yet Ireland still lagged behind its EU rivals.
Nor did the Asia strategy group focus on "two shortcomings in the Irish foreign service approach". There remained "little continuity in diplomatic links" and no provision or time off for language training.
Yet real growth in the Chinese economy had averaged 8 per cent a year for the past 20 years, with the East Asia Institute forecasting its growth at an average 7 per cent over the next three years. China was now the world's tenth largest exporting country. It had the second largest foreign currency reserves in the world.
The World Bank had forecast that, if current economic reforms continued, China would become a middle-income country by 2020. It would rank as the second largest trading nation in the world with a purchasing power which may then be larger than all of Europe's.
In China, good contacts were everything "and a trusting handshake is sometimes more binding than a written contract". Yet on his arrival in Beijing in 1996, he discovered there had not been a single visit by an Irish minister to the country in three years, while other European countries were averaging four or five visits a year.
Up to 1997, Irish exports to China ranked "a lowly ninth" among Asian countries. However, things were improving and some 80 Irish companies were now doing business with China. In Beijing, an active Irish business network had been operating for two years.
Irish exports to China had risen from £34 million in 1997 to £59 million in 1998 and an estimated £87 million last year. Imports from China, however, "are running at £400 million".
The Centre for Asian Studies at UCD has been set up as a response to what a spokesman described as "the increasing demands and challenges of Ireland's economic, political and cultural ties with Asia". It will offer support and expertise to diplomats, politicians and business people with affiliations in Asia.
There will be courses in Asian history, philosophy, politics, psychology, and the Mandarin Chinese, Japanese and Korean language courses already offered by UCD.
The lecture series, inaugurated by Mr O'Clery last night with his address on "China the Emerging Power: Prospects for Sino-Irish relations", will inform the Irish public, government and business sectors of opportunities in Asia and provide a greater understanding of Asian cultures.
