The Investment Development Authority of Ireland recently said that in the past 10 years, Ireland and China have grown significantly bilaterally, and the cooperation between the two sides in the fields of agriculture, animal husbandry and food, digital economy, biomedicine, green and low-carbon development, and artificial intelligence has great potential for development. In recent years, in addition to agriculture and animal husbandry, Ireland's projects to attract Chinese investment have gradually expanded from financial services to high-tech industries and life sciences.
Chinese Ambassador to Ireland He Xiangdong said that China-Ireland relations have maintained a good momentum of development, and bilateral economic and trade relations have continued to develop strongly in recent years. At present, Ireland is one of China's main partners in the European Union, and China is Ireland's fourth largest partner, the fastest growing major market and the largest partner in the Asia-Pacific region.
Data shows that in the first 11 months of 2023, about 30% of infant milk powder in Ireland, 232% of pork is exported to China. In 2022, Ireland's food and beverage exports to China, including dairy products, meat, seafood, etc., amounted to 72.2 billion euros, of which dairy products accounted for 62% of Ireland's total exports to China for the year. China has become Ireland's sixth largest exporter of food and drink**. Irish Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Sea, McNnalog, said: "The Chinese market provides important opportunities for the Irish food industry, and there are broad prospects for agricultural cooperation between the two countries in the future. ”
According to the announcement issued by the General Administration of Customs of China a few days ago, from February 1, 2024, Irish breeding pigs that meet the relevant quarantine and health conditions will be allowed to be imported into the Chinese market. The International Council of the People's Republic of China (ICC) believes that this is an important step for the two countries to further expand agricultural and animal husbandry products and deepen agricultural cooperation.
Ireland is also one of the world's leading beef exporters. In 2018, Ireland's beef was approved for export to China, becoming the first EU country to be allowed to export beef to China. According to data released by Statistics Ireland a few days ago, a total of 19.7 million euros worth of beef from Ireland will be exported to China in 2023. To further expand the Chinese market, the Irish Food Board and local beef exporters will be holding Irish Beef Information Seminars in Beijing in March and Shanghai in May this year, as well as participating in the Seawood International Food Show in Shanghai in May.
Jim Otte, CEO of the Irish Food Agency, said that the export of Irish beef to the Chinese market has great potential, and he looks forward to closer exchanges between the two countries. Martin Murray, executive director of Asia Affairs, an Irish think tank, said: "Strengthening economic and trade cooperation with China will help promote Ireland's development and prosperity. ”