【By Observer Net, Ruan Jiaqi】

According to the South China Morning Post, on the 22nd, the chief executive of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, one of the largest and oldest commercial associations in Ireland, Mary Rose Burke, clearly stated that despite the overall cautious attitude of the EU towards Chinese investments, and under the context of extensive competition between the US and China, Ireland needs to carefully balance its relations with both countries, but the country still actively welcomes Chinese investment.

As the head of Ireland's most influential business organization, Burke was straightforward, "We will firmly adhere to an open business policy within the framework of EU rules, which is a clear position."

She further said, "Since there are already successful Chinese companies investing in Ireland, and Irish companies have also established themselves in China, I believe no factors will completely overturn this situation or weaken the attractiveness for enterprises from both countries to assess each other's opportunities for cooperation."

Recent data on Chinese investment in Ireland supports this position. Despite the ongoing tensions in Sino-US and Sino-EU trade relations, Sino-Irish investment cooperation has seen a surge. Data from the Ministry of Commerce of China and other national institutions show that in 2023, the total direct investment from China to Ireland reached 380 million USD, surging by 265% year-on-year; in 2024, the growth rate reached a new high, jumping by 172%, with the investment scale approaching 1.04 billion USD.

Specifically, Huawei announced in 2022 an investment of 150 million euros to establish a cloud business European hub in Dublin; ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, also chose Ireland as its first European data center location in 2023, to alleviate concerns from the EU about user data protection.

Burke revealed that the Irish Investment Development Agency, responsible for promoting foreign direct investment (FDI), has served approximately 40 Chinese client companies. These companies' investments cover multiple key industries in Ireland such as technology and pharmaceuticals, making them important participants in the local economy.

Mary Rose Burke, CEO of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce. Chamber X account

The report points out that Ireland's friendly attitude toward Chinese investments has been established in a complex internal and external environment.

On one hand, Ireland's economy is deeply integrated with the United States. Attracted by its preferential tax policies, American tech giants such as Google, Meta, and Apple have established regional headquarters in the country. Last year, the American Chamber of Commerce warned Ireland, claiming that conducting commercial activities with China posed so-called "national security risks," and made baseless accusations against China for "unfair competition."

On the other hand, pressure from the EU should not be ignored. With the escalation of global trade tensions, the European Commission has increasingly intensified its scrutiny of China's presence in the European market.

In response, Burke warned that trade friction and supply chain risks could become long-term challenges, and Ireland needs to learn to adapt and find development opportunities from them.

She admitted that as a member state deeply integrated into the EU, Ireland is unlikely to violate the EU's baseline policies, but at the same time emphasized that Ireland can actively voice its opinions to promote the formulation of reasonable and appropriate regulatory rules.

This attitude is also reflected in specific policies: In 2020, the EU passed a so-called "5G Cybersecurity Toolbox," and some EU countries such as France and Germany subsequently blindly followed suit, accusing Chinese companies such as Huawei and ZTE of being so-called "high national security risk" telecommunications equipment suppliers. Similarly, in order to implement EU requirements, Ireland enacted legislation in 2023 that grants the government the power to take stricter measures in the field of security in electronic communication networks (including 5G networks), but did not issue formal bans or phased elimination plans for Huawei's equipment.

Dan O'Brien, Chief Economist at the Institute for International and European Affairs based in Dublin, said regarding Ireland's position in the EU and the Sino-US rivalry, "Among the 27 countries in the EU, Ireland's interests differ significantly from those of other countries, but its influence is relatively limited."

He also mentioned that after recent EU-US trade negotiations, France threatened retaliatory measures, while Ireland maintained a conciliatory stance, and added that Dublin's heavy reliance on U.S. investment makes it particularly vulnerable in the face of pressure from Washington.

Alexander Davey, a researcher at the Mercator Institute for China Studies in Germany, further analyzed that although Ireland has long been a gateway for American companies to enter the European single market, Trump's protectionist policies during his second term seem to be prompting Dublin to "re-evaluate this positioning."

Davey cited examples, stating that Trump's proposed policy of bringing back U.S. pharmaceutical companies would directly harm Ireland's economic interests, as the pharmaceutical industry is one of Ireland's pillar industries.

"Now, in order to balance the impact of the Trump administration, Ireland seems to be seeking to strengthen economic cooperation with China," he continued, "The question is, can this balancing strategy of oscillating between China and the U.S. be sustained?"

Ireland is located on the eastern side of the Atlantic, facing the UK across the sea. It is not only a gateway from North America to Europe, but also renowned for its beautiful natural environment, earning it the nickname "the Emerald Isle of the Atlantic." The Shannon Free Trade Zone, the world's first free trade zone, is located on the west coast of Ireland. The "Shannon Experience" has also provided useful references for China in building special economic zones.

Currently, China is Ireland's largest trading partner in Asia and the fourth-largest trading partner globally. According to information updated by the Chinese Foreign Ministry in July this year, Sino-Irish economic and trade cooperation has developed rapidly in recent years. Ireland has maintained a significant trade surplus with China for many years. Bilateral trade volume between China and Ireland was 22.9 billion USD in 2021, 23.8 billion USD in 2022, and 21.76 billion USD in 2023. In 2024, the bilateral trade volume between China and Ireland reached 23.42 billion USD, increasing by 7.7%, with China's exports to Ireland amounting to 5.26 billion USD, up by 20.1%, and imports from Ireland totaling 18.16 billion USD, up by 4.5%.

Shannon Free Trade Zone, China Embassy in Ireland website

According to the official website of the Ministry of Commerce, on November 12, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Commerce and Deputy Representative for International Trade Negotiations Ling Ji with the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment of Ireland, Peter Burke, jointly chaired the 14th meeting of the China-Ireland Economic and Trade Joint Committee in Dublin.

Ling Ji stated that under the strategic guidance of leaders of both countries, the mutually beneficial strategic partnership between the two countries continues to be consolidated, and bilateral goods and service trade have progressed together, with balanced development of two-way investment. Both sides support free trade and multilateral trade systems. China and Ireland have complementary economic advantages, and China is willing to strengthen the alignment of development strategies with Ireland, deepen cooperation in areas such as digital economy, green energy, biopharmaceuticals, scientific and technological innovation, and financial services, and create new growth points for economic and trade cooperation. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, China will expand the opening-up of the service sector, providing broad development space for Irish enterprises to invest in China.

Burke stated that the long-term development of mutually beneficial and win-win economic and trade relations between China and Ireland is supported by the fact that China is Ireland's largest trading partner in Asia. China's economic development brings certainty to global economic growth. Ireland is a highly open and free economy, and welcomes Chinese enterprises and financial institutions to invest in Ireland and conduct joint research and innovation, which helps integrate into the global value chain.

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