Anhui delegation roundtable meeting successfully held at UCD Confucius Institute
On August 29, 2024, a delegation from the Anhui Provincial People's Government, led by Vice Governor Madam Ren Qinghua, visited the Confucius Institute at University College Dublin. The delegation included representatives from the Education Working Committee and the Health Commission and participated in a roundtable discussion with the Ireland Investment Development Agency (IDA), Scale Ireland, and the Chinese (Anhui) Business Association in Ireland.
At the beginning of the meeting, Vice Governor Ren Qinghua and Wang Jiabao, the Economic and Commercial Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Ireland, delivered opening remarks. Vice Governor Ren provided the Chinese and Irish guests with a detailed introduction to Anhui Province, highlighting its current economic development and key areas of focus. She expressed a strong desire to strengthen future cooperation and exchanges in the fields of education and healthcare. Counselor Wang emphasized the close economic ties and ongoing cooperation between China and Ireland.
Following the opening remarks, representatives from both sides engaged in exchanges and presentations. Liu Tongzhu, Director of the Anhui Provincial Health Commission, highlighted the life and health industry in Anhui, expressing hopes for increased collaboration in this sector, particularly in biopharmaceuticals. Fan Qi, Deputy Secretary of the Anhui Education Working Committee, provided a detailed overview of Anhui's current educational development, emphasizing its rich resources and supportive policies in higher education.
Subsequently, representatives from IDA Ireland and Scale Ireland delivered their presentations. Enda Meehan and Aisling O’Carroll of IDA Ireland gave a talk on the agency's role in attracting FDI to Ireland over the past decades. Martina Fitzgerald, CEO of Scale Ireland, along with other participants, elaborated on how Scale Ireland, as a non-governmental organization, supports the growth and development of tech startups and scaling companies in Ireland.
The final segment of the meeting featured discussions with representatives from the Hefei High-tech Zone and the Chinese (Anhui) Business Association in Ireland. Wang Junsheng, Deputy Director of the Hefei High-tech Zone Administrative Committee, focused on the development of the biopharmaceutical industry in the high-tech zone. Professor Wang Liming, Director of the Confucius Institute at UCD and Honorary President of the Chinese (Anhui) Business Association in Ireland, presented the history and upcoming projects of the association.
Following the exchange session, business representatives including Xu Kefei, President of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Ireland and General Manager of the Bank of China Ireland Branch, Wang Jun, Senior General Manager of AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, Li Hongliang, President of the Chinese (Anhui) Business Association in Ireland, and Zhan Xinmin, Professor at the College of Engineering, University of Galway, actively participated in the discussions.
The successful roundtable further deepened exchanges and cooperation between China and Ireland, making a significant milestone in the development of relations between Anhui Province and Ireland. This roundtable is expected to usher in a new chapter in collaboration in the fields of life and health, as well as higher education.
