Xi Jinping ….. Why Ireland? February 21, 2012
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The recent visit of Xi Jinping, the Chinese Vice President has many people puzzled. Not alone did he visit here, but Taoiseach Enda Kenny is set to hot foot over to China for a State visit soon too. Of all the countries he could have visited…… Why Ireland?
In various opinion pieces we’re told its because we speak English, our corporate tax rate and our agriculture. China has a large population to feed and with milk quotas due to be changed in 2015 Ireland is all set to start producing masses of dairy products for the Chinese market.
Yet for all the pages of analysis, it didn’t fully make sense. One of the most powerful people in the world coming to visit us. It wasn’t just a flying visit either, it was a three day visit.
An article in the Slate might have more than a grain of truth in it
Comparitively speaking, Ireland has taken its bitter medicine and, while people rightly wonder about being brow-beaten into austerity by Berlin, Irish guilt or some other force apparently has kept political backlash to a minimum.
This makes Ireland a great deal more attractive as a base for Chinese investments than other ailing Eurozone nations. Xi made all the kinds of statements visiting dignitaries produce during these visits – praising Irish agriculture, claiming there’s great opportunity in China for Irish companies.
But in all the talk of China riding to Europe’s rescue recently, Beijing has done very little of substance. It may be that Xi’s visit to the Emerald Island is a sign that China has chosen it port of entry.
So we’re neutral, have no colonial past , we are in the EU, in the Euro and broke.
As its economy has expanded, China has begun giving aid to countries all over the globe. They have made many allies in the South Pacific, which hasn’t exactly been welcomed by Australia or New Zealand but China has put its money there in a way Australia or New Zealand never did. For example Chinese aid to Tonga is a third of GDP.
Both politically and Commercially China has also expanded its influence in Africa and South America. Often to allow a steady flow of those areas natural resources to China.
So is Ireland the foot in the door for Chinese influence in Europe?
Did you see the RTE News report on it the other night. The lead on the nine o clock bulletin, “Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping has paid tribute to the sacrifices made by the Irish people during the recession.” (I paraphrase but that’s the jist of it). And the whole thing delivered as though this was of monumental importance. Real, ‘grain production is up again for the 10th year in a row and our tractor drivers are the happiest in the world,’ stuff
I for one welcome our new Chinese overlords.
Someone had to say it. I guess we’ll know when ‘Beijing time’ is up in the lobbies of hotels.
I second that welcome to our Chinese overlords and salute Eamon Gilmore’s long standing contacts in the Far East, and hope he will now repay in someway the kosher $100 bills that paid for his election in 1989 – yes Eamon now is the time to strike for socialism!
Ireland has the EU presidency next year and next year China’s 11th five-year plan comes to an end and with it the EU response strategy 2006-2013.
There is no mystery whatsoever as to why China visited Ireland.
Paddy will do anything he is asked of course. The IFSC etc have us a great reputation. Check this from late last year. Another great comparison for us and Iceland.
This deal was finally rejected amid concerns but regardless of their validity Collins and Co would be out to beat dissent with talk of de jobs here.
how do other countries fair under china and do yanks or europeans get an attitude about them moving in? theres being people half joking have serious an politics.ie talking about giving the chineese a port in the north athlantic. is that what where talking about here?
How do other countries fare under China. Answer – pretty badly.
In much of east and southern Africa China is buying up land (and local and national politicians) because they don’t think they will be able to feed themselves in the future. The local smaller farmers get pushed off and end up homeless in the slums around the cities. In return the Chinese build a few roads to ensure the raw foodstuffs reach the Ports. A similar process in under way in parts of South America.
And of course there’s the mining.
Bugger the ‘educated workforce’. They have plenty of that – they are after raw materials and foodstuffs.
You are dealing with a ruthless Communist Party determined to hold on to power at whatever cost who long since have been joined at the hip with gangster capitalism.
Yep. I got a DVD of “The Grapes of Wrath” out over the Christmas. As part of my ongoing indoctrination campaign with the kids. Then I read a piece in the paper quite recently about the Chinese buying up huge tracts of land in Ethiopia and evicting the share croppers (the Chinese supported by the Ethiopian govt of course). Said share croppers then have to migrate to the cities or eke out a living some other way. History repeats itself.
And then again they are probably interested in availing of the tax evasion possibilities for subsidiaries and financial speculation within the EU that the IFSC and Irish lack of enforced regulation affords.
And they are awash with surplus dollars that they want to turn into something more tangible before the dollar collapses.
so fairly much like the brits, the europeans and the yanks treat us, right so thanks for the reply. dark rosaleen fairly screwed by the looks of it.
After building Knock airport, Msgr. Horan’s next dream was for a deep-sea port somewhere on the west coast. That’s the kind of mega-engineering project the Chinese love to get their teeth into.
The Chinese do real politik and do not apologise for it. Makes a change from those who dress up thier own imperialist efforts in a humanitarian cloak. One thing about Haughey is that he was a cynic and would not have been surprised when our “friends” in the EU showed their teeth.
On Horan, we now have a whole load of uneconomic airports draining us with subsidies. Add in the failed dream of a Sligo-Limerick railway, which we are lucky it was not built. If railways nowadays brought development than Limerick Junction would at leat be a village.
Let there be an end of the pro-EU bullshit. Better to deal with the other regimes in the EU based on a healthy cycnism.
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UCD will build a university in Beijing.