Cowen defends China trip

A DEFIANT Brian Cowen last night defended his decision to continue with a Far Eastern visit as the medical card crisis raged on at home.

Speaking after meeting, Chinese Premier, Wen Jiabao, the Taoiseach said he was in Beijing to battle for Irish jobs. “What am I doing here? I’m out here working with a hundred companies and organisations and we are trying to get business so we can get more jobs at home — that’s my job. China is our seventh biggest trading partner today,” he said.

Ireland’s expertise in the financial and educational services fields are at the heart of the trade delegation to China being led by Mr Cowen. Pressed on the Cork Docklands initiative, the Taoiseach said people will have to wait and see what provisions are made in the Finance Bill shortly.

Mr Cowen also addressed 400 students at China’s Foreign Policy University where he received a rapturous reception.

Mr Cowen remains in Beijing for the EU-Asia summit which will be dominated by the world financial crisis. Mr Cowen cancelled the Shanghai leg of his visit in order to remain in Ireland to deal with the growing revolt over means testing elderly people for medical cards. The Taoiseach missed a crunch Dáil vote on the issue and mass protests against his policy to fly to Beijing.