THE Dublin-headquartered international paper and packaging giant, Smurfit Kappa Group (SKG) has identified the Chinese market as a potential area for growth, but has denied it is closing in on any immediate return to the Far East.

Merger and acquisition activity involving Irish companies remained at a very strong level during the third quarter of 2006 with 57 separate deals in the quarter compared to 31 deals in the same period in 2005, the latest M&A Tracker survey from corporate finance specialists Ion Equity reveals.