Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited Ireland, marking the first visit by a senior Chinese leader since 2015.
His arrival sparked attention due to the large Air China flight and growing trade relations between Ireland and China.
The visit involved discussions on various topics, including the potential resumption of Irish beef exports to China, which had been suspended after a case of mad cow disease.
The Chinese Premier is in Dublin tonight.
Li Qiang arrives as China seeks to talk up its economy and boost links to Europe.
So why Ireland? Analysis of why he is here.⤵️
(P.S. He arrived on a very big plane). pic.twitter.com/F31smzgq42
— Paul Colgan (@paulcolgan) January 16, 2024
“It’s here! A very special moment as Air China flight CCA001 arrives at Dublin Airport – the largest passenger aircraft to land here in our 84-year history,” Dublin Airport wrote on X. “We’re delighted to facilitate the arrival of Premier Li Qiang to Ireland.”
The visit raised concerns about environmental issues, particularly related to carbon emissions, as well as discussions about trade relations and economic dependence on China within the context of broader European concerns.
“We’ve been told rising emissions are a global problem, and the survival of the human race, not to mind our family farms, depends on lowering emissions, so imagine our surprise then to be told that we can expect air travel to surge by 12% next year,” ICMSA President Pat McCormack said.
“We also had the DAA complaining that the current Dublin Airport passenger ceiling of 32 million was hopelessly inadequate – that was too low, and it was going to cost Ireland money – and we had better get that up to 40 million pronto.”
“I’m no scientist, but surely increasing passenger numbers from 30-40 million is going to involve more emissions; it’s going to mean massively increased emissions,” he said.
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