Address by the Tánaiste at the China Europe International Business School, Shanghai

Check against delivery

Chairman Kuiling, President Wang Hong, President Turpin, Vice Presidents, distinguished professors, faculty and students, thank you for the invitation to address you today.

I arrived in China on Monday, my first visit in some years. It is a pleasure to be back and to renew connections, especially here in the city of Shanghai, which has a longstanding and warm relationship with my home city of Cork.

Shanghai has been twinned with Cork since 2005 and the relationship is highly valued on both sides.

The commitment of both cities is evidenced by the fact that the relationship continued and prospered online during the COVID-19 pandemic, in spite of the difficulties and competing priorities everyone faced.

Cork and Shanghai’s relationship has fostered considerable cultural, official, business, tourism and education exchanges. The current Lord Mayor of Cork, Kieran McCarthy, along with a delegation of officials and businesses, has just recently been visiting Shanghai and attending the China International Import Expo.

I am particularly pleased to visit the China Europe International Business School for the first time. The joint founding of this institution by China and the European Union nearly 30 years ago was a milestone in our cooperation.

Since that time, your institution has provided an important platform for exchange between China and the EU. It has fostered not just academic connections but also networks in the business world. I was impressed to learn that students from over 90 countries have studied here. I look forward to meeting some of you afterwards and hearing about your experience.

I know you will celebrate 30 years of CEIBS next year and I wish you well as you mark that significant milestone.

Ladies and gentlemen,

This year, Ireland celebrates 50 years of EU membership, and I want to take the opportunity today to talk to you about what this membership has meant for Ireland, and about Ireland and the EU’s relationship with China.

In January 1972, Ireland signed the Treaty of Accession to join what was then the European Communities and what later became the European Union.

This set in train a process that saw the Irish people vote in a referendum in May 1972 to become a Member State, with an overwhelming 83% in favour of joining. On 1 January 1973, Ireland officially became a Member State of the European Communities.

In a recent poll, 50 years after that referendum, 88% agreed Ireland should remain in the EU – indicating strong pro EU sentiment in the country. Successive Europe barometer polls reflect the same.

Ireland’s social and economic development has been fundamentally shaped by our membership of the EU. My own education, career, and political life are deeply connected to Ireland’s European identity.

And I have seen how the EU has helped us mature as a country, modernise, and become a more inclusive progressive society.

Joining the European Communities was the catalyst for a remarkable transformation of our nation. Progress has been neither linear nor constant, but it has been profound and irreplaceable.

The five decades since have witnessed Ireland’s emergence as a modern, open economy and society – shaped by close reciprocal cooperation with our European partners.

And over the last three decades we have reaped the benefits of being part of the Single Market, now comprising over 450 million people.

When the Single Market was created in 1993, it kick-started the Irish economy and Irish entrepreneurial creativity. It planted the seeds for what has today become one of the most dynamic, exciting and successful economies in the world.

We are far better educated at all levels. Ireland has the most educated workforce in the EU, with among the highest school completion rates. We also have one of the highest proportion of young people with a 3rd level qualification.

EU membership also gave Ireland the impetus we needed to strengthen our human rights record, to drive forward civil and social rights, to introduce gender equality legislation, to improve protection of workers’ rights – and to become a much more tolerant, progressive and inclusive country.

Our EU membership has also played a vital role in the journey towards peace and reconciliation on the island of Ireland.

Our European partners’ support continues today – through the generous EU support for peace and reconciliation programmes, benefiting communities North and South, and strengthening prosperity across the island of Ireland.

And our EU partners stood by us as we worked together to manage the unique challenges for Ireland resulting from the UK’s decision to leave the European Union.

Just as Ireland has benefited immensely from our membership of the European Union, we wish to see others similarly benefit. We believe that growing our Union is the best investment in peace, security and prosperity for our Continent.

I am very pleased that our EU50 exhibition is on display here today. I believe that it captures Ireland’s transformation through EU membership, as well as our significant contribution to its political, economic, and people to people agendas.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Our membership of the Union has also amplified Ireland’s voice and our interests on the global stage. It has played a key role in facilitating our partnership with countries like China.

The EU’s relationship with China has been much discussed in the last year.

A few weeks ago, my colleague, Vice President Commissioner Dombrovskis, spoke in a similar setting to this – at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

He said that the EU and China need to cooperate, that we need to work on our relationship, and that we need to choose a path to a mutually beneficial engagement. I fully agree with this.

We also need to remember that the EU and China already have a broad and deep relationship; that there is much of value to build on.

We are each other’s largest trading partners, exchanging €2.3 billion of goods and services a day. €2.3 billion - just think about that for a moment. This illustrates the scale and enormity of our economic relationship and the level of interdependence that flows from that. Following the pandemic, and Russia’s war in Ukraine, Europe like China, is taking steps to underpin it’s economic resilience and security.

European and Irish companies have invested over a sustained period of time in China. Chinese companies have important bases in the EU, including in Ireland where we host European operations of a number of companies, including Wu-Xi Biologics who I had the pleasure of meeting today.

Many thousands of young Chinese people have travelled to Europe to study and to work; more than 4,000 of them to Ireland this year. 6,000 Chinese students are currently enrolled in joint programmes with Irish universities.

People to people connections have expanded greatly, with cultural exchanges providing wonderfully rewarding experiences for people in China and in the EU. After missing three years of in-person contact, the value – the sheer joy – that this brings cannot be overestimated.

All of this should give us the confidence to move forward; to be clear about how we can continue to build a relationship that benefits people in the EU and people in China. Following our meetings this week, Ireland is ambitious for what we can achieve together.

Part of any mature relationship, of course, is a recognition that we will not always share the same priorities and the same perspectives.

Ireland wants a bilateral relationship with China – and we want to see an EU relationship with China - where our values and interests are protected and promoted. And it is perhaps in this area where the greatest potential for misunderstanding lies.

So let me set out clearly how Ireland sees our engagement with China.

First, a constructive partnership with China on global challenges is a necessity. Whether on global health, on climate change, or on the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals, China is a key interlocutor.

There is much we can do together, through the multilateral system, and bilaterally, to live up to our responsibilities as States on these critical issues.

I will travel to COP28 in Dubai next month. China’s active engagement in the COP and associated processes is absolutely key to progress. We have been impressed by the rapid development of clean technologies in China, which is benefitting many other countries in their transition to renewables. We welcome these innovations, while continuing to ask China to play a leadership role on other aspects of climate action, including reducing its fossil fuel use and phasing out coal.

Ireland’s development programme- Irish Aid - will shortly mark 50 years in existence. We have retained a strong focus in that period on what we describe as ‘reaching the furthest behind first’ – prioritising the poorest and most vulnerable.

As the world’s second largest economy, and as a country with its own successful experience of poverty alleviation, China has a role to play, and is playing it in global poverty reduction and responsible debt management. And we will work with China towards that goal, in areas where we can add value to each others’ actions and initiatives.

Ireland also believes that China has a key and active role to play in protecting the rules based multilateral order.

The UN Charter and the series of international laws, legal principles, rules, norms and institutions which make up the global multilateral system - and which all of us in the global community helped to create - embody our collective values.

That system is being severely tested. Armed conflicts, poverty and hunger, grave violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law are increasing, rather than decreasing.

China’s active participation at the UN and other global fora remains essential.

We ask that China, through its actions and its policies, support the multilateral order which we have created together.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine is a clear case in point. It flagrantly violated the UN Charter. It breached the territorial integrity and sovereignty of a neighbouring state. Russia is committing gross violations of human rights and international humanitarian law; there is ample evidence that its actions in Ukraine may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The people of Ukraine have suffered extraordinary hardship. Ireland has been steadfast in our support for Ukraine from the outset.

We have provided political, humanitarian and stabilisation support to Ukraine as it exercises its legitimate right to self-defence.

We have welcomed almost 100,000 Ukrainians fleeing the war, representing almost 2% of our population. That is the equivalent of China welcoming 28 million refugees over the course of 18 months.

The European Union has mobilised unprecedented and multifaceted assistance for Ukraine, and also granted candidate status and membership perspective.

The overwhelming majority of the United Nations Member States have been clear that Russia’s actions are an unacceptable breach of the Charter.

China itself has a clear position on respecting the sovereignty of all countries, in line with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. China too has an interest in ensuring that such egregious violations do not go unchecked.

The EU – and Ireland - will continue to request that China use its influence with Russia to deliver an immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of its troops from Ukraine; to end this brutal war.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Almost exactly one month ago, Hamas launched a brutal terrorist attack in Israel, purposely targeting civilians. Over 1400 were killed and over 230 taken hostage. Both Irish and Chinese citizens were amongst the victims.

The horror of those attacks remains with us. Our thoughts are with the families of those who have lost loved ones in terrible circumstances, and those whose family members remain as hostages in Gaza. The immediate and unconditional release of hostages must be a priority for all of us.

Ireland believes that Israel has the right to counter the terrorism of Hamas. But this right must be exercised in line with international humanitarian law.

The UN Secretary-General has made it very clear; even wars have rules. International humanitarian law exists for a reason. Its overarching aim is to protect civilians. That means all civilians, everywhere.

Israelis and Palestinians deserve to live in peace, security and dignity. Palestinian aspirations for statehood and sovereignty are absolutely legitimate and must be taken forward.

Like Ireland, China is committed to a two state solution and in my discussions with my Chinese counterparts, we agreed to work together in pursuit of this aim.

That aspiration – two states living side by side in peace – may seem further away than ever. But we must all act to strengthen and support the moderate voices on both sides of this conflict.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Ireland and our EU partners seek a balanced, reciprocal and mutually beneficial economic relationship with China. We want to see a level playing field for our businesses.

At the same time, we in Ireland have seen the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our supply chains. Across Europe, we have been deeply impacted by the economic impacts of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Ireland’s economy, and indeed Europe’s economy, is remarkably open; our approaches to trade are anchored in global trading norms. In our discussions with China, we will continue to press for a level playing field for trade and investment; we believe in fair market competition and ask for reciprocity. We believe that transparency offers the best path to growing prosperity in China and in Europe.

During my visit to Shanghai and Beijing, I have seen first-hand the depth in the economic relationship between Ireland and China and the potential to grow it further.

There is much mutually beneficial activity which we can, and will, pursue, if the landscape permits.

Ireland and Europe believe in an enhanced and resilient economic relationship with China. I made that point clear in my political engagements in Beijing. My European counterparts have brought the same message to China over the last six months.

Against a global backdrop of conflict, energy crisis and supply chain disruption, all States have an obligation to understand and address their vulnerabilities. To build economic and systemic resilience.

That is what the EU’s de-risking agenda is about. It is about supporting our capacity to maintain our open trading stance and building preparedness for potential economic shocks. This is in our national interests.

Five EU Commissioners have visited China in recent months; many European political leaders have also made the journey. They have done so in a spirit of transparency and a willingness to build trust and maintain constructive dialogue. This does not signify that we are stepping back from the relationship. That reflects a listening, diplomacy and engagement approach.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Over the last year, Ireland has reflected in some depth on our EU membership and indeed on the future of Europe.

Our conclusion is that the EU has never faced greater challenges.

But it is also our conclusion that the EU remains strong; its resilience has grown and its founding principles have been reinforced.

We are proud to be leading members of a Union in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality are valued and nurtured and never taken for granted.

The EU is certainly not perfect.

Both internally within our Union and externally in our relationship with the world, we have much work still to do, to fully live up to our values, and to protect and advance our interests.

With 27 Member States, all with different histories, political systems and priorities, we often disagree; sometimes very vocally and very publicly!

To my mind, that’s a good thing.

That’s democracy.

That’s the reality of 450 million people being around the same table; striving for the same goals but with 450 million different ideas about how to get there. Long may those disagreements continue – and long may we remain committed to resolving them through diplomacy and dialogue and compromise.

I hope you will take the time to look at our exhibition outside which tells the story of our membership. And I hope that you will continue to engage with Ireland to foster meaningful EU-China engagement.

As we face today’s unprecedented challenges, we believe that what is required of all of us is to invest in more connection, more engagement, more diplomacy; not less.

Thank you for your time today.

Images: Tánaiste visits the China Europe International Business School in Shanghai.