John Whelan: Chinese FDI could be an insurance policy for Ireland against US volatility  

If the election campaign rhetoric develops into concrete action, Ireland stands out as potentially one of the big losers over the next four years of US Republican rule, writes John Whelan

Xi Jinping’s first trip to Europe since 2019 was to Hungary and Serbia, the two largest recipients of Chinese FDI in Europe. 

There are a lot of conversations taking place these days around the incoming Donald Trump administration’s focus on bringing home jobs and investment to the US. If the election campaign rhetoric develops into concrete action, Ireland stands out as potentially one of the big losers over the next four years of US Republican rule.

Ireland receives four times more investments from US corporations than the EU average as a percentage of the economy. In 2024, the US flow of investment into Ireland continued at pace.