Ahern greets China leader at start of Ireland visit

Chinese premier Zhu Rongji was greeted by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern at Dublin Airport today at the start of his four-day official visit to Ireland.

Mr Zhu is accompanied by his wife Lao An and a 100-strong Chinese delegation for the trip which is expected to be used to strengthen trade between the two nations.

Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Minister Brian Cowen defended the Government’s controversial decision to host the visit amid concern over alleged Chinese human rights abuses.

Mr Cowen said: "This visit affords us a great opportunity as we have been deepening our relationship with China in recent years."

He said the visit would be used to build up the export of goods and services upon which many "high-calibre" jobs in Ireland depend.

As members of the UN Security Council, which Ireland joined in January and will chair from October, the two Governments would also discuss "matters of common concern".

He confirmed the issue of China’s much-criticised human rights record would be raised during meetings between Mr Ahern and Mr Zhu tomorrow.

And he denied the Government valued trade above other concerns, adding: "We believe strongly that it is by a policy of engagement rather than by confrontation with the Chinese on these issues which would bring about the necessary progress which we would like to see.

"We have a mature relationship with the Chinese and a comprehensive agenda. There are issues on which we share certain ideas - there are others on which we have different points of view."

But the Green Party’s European Parliament member, Patricia McKenna, described Government hospitality for the visitor as "disgraceful".

Ministers should be condemning the Chinese leader but instead "it seems they are putting commercial and business interests above the interests of human rights", she said.

Mr Ahern became the first Irish leader to visit China in 1998 and Mr Zhu is the most senior Chinese official to visit Ireland.

Ireland imported £346m of Chinese goods in the first six months of this year, up by 45% from the same period last year, according to figures recently released by the Central Statistics Office, making China the sixth biggest non-EU importer into Ireland.

Exports to China during the same period stood at £92m - up 50% from the first six months of 2000.

During his stay, part of a two-week trip to Europe, Mr Zhu will stay at Farmleigh, a Government-owned stately home that once belonged to the Guinness brewing family and was recently bought and renovated at a cost of £41m.

Razor wire has been fitted to perimeter walls and closed-circuit TV cameras and lights have been installed at strategic points around the 78-acre estate because of the fear of protests by human rights campaigners.

Mr Zhu was being entertained tonight by dancers from the hit show Riverdance and is due to attend a state dinner in Dublin Castle tomorrow night, before embarking on a day-long visit to Co Kerry.