Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 July 2014
27. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he raised the issue of poor working conditions in China during his recent trade mission to that country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29923/14]
View answerThe primary focus of the recent trade mission which I led to China and South Korea, as with all trade missions, was to encourage business to business links and to encourage investment and employment opportunities for Ireland. Issues such as those referred to by the Deputy would be more appropriate to other fora rather than in the context of a trade mission which was aimed at raising the profile of indigenous companies in Ireland as world-class suppliers to China of goods and tradeable services and increasing awareness of Ireland as a competitive source of world-class expertise and products.
Over the course of the recent very successful five day trade mission programme, introductions were made, contacts developed and business relationships progressed, from which significant increases in exports and jobs by Irish companies are targeted over the coming years. 41 companies participated in the five-day mission to Beijing, Shanghai and Seoul. The trade and investment mission also included 13 bilateral meetings with IDA Ireland target companies, as well as engagements with many more such companies in a group setting, during which many projects with potential to create jobs in Ireland were discussed and advanced.
Contracts between Irish and Asian companies worth just under €5million and the creation of 20 jobs were among the initial immediate results of the 5-day trade mission to China and Korea. In addition, investments of €36 million in business opportunities in Asia were agreed by Irish companies during the mission.
