Opening Up New Opportunities for China-Ireland Relations

Opening Up new Oppor tunities for Ch ina-Ir eland Relations

18 The Southern Branch of the Ireland China Business Association held its first event of 2020 on Friday 10 January. The event was run in partnership with Cork Chamber and Republic of Work and was sponsored by PwC.

The Keynote address was made by Ambassador Eoin O’Leary, Ireland’s Ambassador to China, followed by a panel discussion, featuring Therese Healy, Ireland’s Consul General in Shanghai; Joe Perrott, CEO, Remote Signals; Richard Linger, Nimbus Centre, CIT; Paula Cogan, Cork Chamber/Doyle Collection; Bill Liao, Partner, SOSV. The panellists shared their insights into the business environment and cultural nuances when doing business in China.

These included the following: • Many SMEs can struggle to identify business partners in the market and fail to put in enough preparation when looking at new markets. • Rules and regulations can change quickly in China, and without a local contact, it can be challenging to navigate these changes. • The scale of China is so vast, that it is important to be very focused on a specific region or city. • The ‘soft power’ associated with finding human connections cannot be underestimated in China, and familiar names in Irish music and culture are a good starting point for building relationships. • Using networks, such as the DFA and other industry and diaspora networks can be extremely valuable in building your understanding of the market.

According to Enterprise Ireland, some of the key sectors where opportunities exist for Irish companies in China, include: • Education • ICT – mobile; ecommerce; smart cities/IoT, Software, Traveltech • Healthcare • Medical devices • Pharmaceuticals • Agritech/Equine

1 Front: Cllr. Derry Canty, Cork City Council; Cllr. John Sheehan, Lord Mayor of Cork; Eoin O’Leary, Ireland’s Ambassador to China and Therese Healy, Consul General, Shanghai; Back: DC Cahalane, Republic of Work; Caroline Devlin, Chairperson Ireland China Business Assoc; Ann Doherty, Chief Executive, Cork City Council; Enwright de Sales, PwC and Paula Cogan, President Cork Chamber. 2 Eddie Cao and Nicola Quinn, PWC. 3 Bill Liao, SOSV with DC Cahalane, Republic of Work. 4 Ernest Cantillon, Kinsale Spirits with Katherine Fitzpatrick, Director of International Relations, Cork Chamber. Pictures: Brian Lougheed