I returned from China yesterday following a very productive trip during which I met with both senior political figures and Irish and Chinese businesspeople and signed a new partnership agreement aimed at strengthening ties between Ireland and China. I am confident that this agreement will pave the way for Ireland and China to do more business together.

I was glad to have the opportunity to meet with both Premier Wen Jiabao as well as Vice President Xi Jinping, who of course visited Ireland himself only weeks ago. Vice President Jinping told me of how impressed he had been by his visit to Ireland and how he had given the trip much thought since his return.

I emphasised to each of them Ireland’s strong position both as a place in which to do business and as a tourist destination. Approximately 10,000 Chinese people currently visit Ireland annually and the Government announced this week plans for a four-year extension to its visa waiver programme. This means that Chinese tourists coming to visit the UK will not have to apply for a separate visa to visit Ireland. I hope that this will result in many more visitors from China to our country.

Mr Xi was optimistic in terms of the opportunity that exists for Irish and Chinese businesses to work together as well as the potential for improved China-Ireland relations to function as a driving force in boosting China-Europe ties.

We spoke in particular on the issue of Irish beef, which has been banned from China since the BSE outbreak in 2000. China is now preparing to send a team of scientific experts to Ireland to examine the quality of beef in the coming months, which is common practice for a nation considering the re-opening of its borders to the industry. This will potentially see the multi-million euro beef trade re-opened to the obvious benefit of thousands of Irish farmers. The process involved will take some time to be finalised.

I know that the numerous Irish businesses representatives who travelled on this trade mission have been very happy with the contacts they have organised with various Chinese businesses and the relationships they have built on and that is to be welcomed also.

China and Ireland move forward now with a greater mutual understanding and the potential for a more enhanced trading relationship.

The Government announced this week that the referendum on the Stability Treaty will take place on Thursday 31 May. It is my expectation that the Irish people will realise that the ratification of this Treaty is in all our interests and is something that will come to be seen as a statement of confidence, both in relation to our country and ourselves.

There was another positive development in terms of job creation this week as IT company Sogeti announced the creation of 65 new jobs over the next three years through the expansion of its Dublin and Galway offices. This expansion will see the company’s Irish workforce increase to over 150 people.

The number of visitors coming to Ireland rose by 2.7% between December and February, surpassing expectations. It’s particularly encouraging that British visitor numbers are up by 6.6% as we are clearly now seeing the benefits of the high profile visit of the Queen last May and the associated marketing campaign by Irish tourism agencies.

The Fine Gael Ard Fheis opens in the Convention Centre this evening. This Ard Fheis will be about reiterating Fine Gael’s priorities in Government, which are namely job creation, the continued restoration of Ireland’s international reputation and working towards a return to stability and growth. I look forward to meeting many of you there over next two days.

While this will be Fine Gael’s first Ard Fheis in Government for many years, I expect the mood to be serious and realistic given our current economic challenges.

Very best wishes
Yours sincerely

Enda Kenny TD
Taoiseach
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Today, March 9, 2011, marks the Government’s first year in office and on Thursday we published our first Annual Report on the Programme for Government.

This Report is an open and honest appraisal of where we are at this point in time, detailing, as it does, our achievements to date as well as the various targets we are continuing to work towards.

Over the past year, however, we have made a solid start. The country is now moving in the right direction and we have gone a good way towards restoring our damaged international reputation.

Of course, we also acknowledge that we have a long way to go, and that unfortunately, we were unable to do everything we had hoped to. I met with every Minister and Junior Minister in advance of the publication of this appraisal of the Government’s performance, and they will each continue to be held to account as we enter our second year.

Fifteen Ministers and Ministers of State will travel overseas next week for St Patrick’s Day.

St Patrick’s Day is a unique opportunity for us to market Ireland around the world, and we will all bring with us the same message – now is the time to invest in Ireland’s recovery. The Government will use the global opportunity of St Patrick’s Day to bring that message to all our key global markets and to Ireland’s many friends around the world.

I will travel to several US cities including Chicago, New York and Washington, where my engagements will include meetings with many different business people and potential investors, as well as attending the traditional events in the White House. I will also meet the Board of the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. As you may know, their football team travels to Ireland in September.

I have said on many occasions that the Government’s door will always be open when it comes to hearing about new practical and workable proposals for solutions to Ireland’s problems, and I’m delighted that Terry Clune has been selected to run with his ‘Succeed in Ireland’ Programme which, with the help of IDA Ireland, was launched yesterday in the Custom House.

‘Succeed in Ireland’ will aim to incentivise people around the world, including our Diaspora, to essentially be our eyes and ears and tell us about companies which are expanding internationally. Connect Ireland will then link up with those companies with a view to hopefully creating some of these jobs in Ireland.

It will provide direct financial incentives to people around the world to create employment in Ireland by making payments to those responsible for bringing sustainable jobs into the country.

If you, or any of your connections, know of a company expanding into Europe, please have them contact the ‘Succeed in Ireland’ team. You could help bring about further investment and jobs in the country and even be rewarded for your efforts if the jobs are real and sustainable!

I will fly to London on Monday afternoon to meet with Prime Minister Cameron with the aim of demonstrating the very close trading links between Ireland and Britain, as well as hopefully building further on those links.

This week’s news that the end of 2011 saw an increase in jobs for the first time in four years is of course welcome, but we are also very aware that this is only the beginning a long battle for new jobs. It is, nonetheless, a battle we will continue to fight vigorously.

This afternoon, I am in Limerick to attend the first in what will be a series of ‘Action Plan on Jobs’ Roadshows in the Strand Hotel, which will be attended by numerous business owners.

This Government is under no illusions when it comes to the scale of the unemployment problem facing us, and is very aware that we have a long way to go before there will be job opportunities for all, but we remain determined to meet this challenge head on.

Very best wishes
Yours sincerely

Enda Kenny TD
Taoiseach

At Tuesday morning’s Cabinet meeting, the Attorney General conveyed her advice to the Government on the European Stability Treaty.

As it is a unique instrument, outside the European Union treaty architecture, on balance, a referendum is required to ratify it.

It was on this advice that the Government decided to hold a referendum in which the people will be asked to give their authorisation to the ratification of this Treaty.

I strongly believe that is very much in Ireland’s national interest that this Treaty be approved, as doing so will build on the steady progress the country has made in the last twelve months.

That progress has seen international and investor confidence in Ireland rising, leading to many new investments in our country – investments that are creating new jobs for our people. I want that to continue.

No date has yet been set for the referendum but I will ensure that access to information about the Treaty will be available to all. I look forward to a healthy debate on the issues raised.

On Wednesday evening, I travelled to Brussels to attend the Spring European Council. Job creation and growth were at the heart of discussions.

I have been arguing for months that while fiscal rules are important, they must go hand in hand with a proactive strategy on jobs and growth. They remain our priority, and will also be top of the agenda during Ireland’s Presidency in the first half of next year.

For a long time there has been much discussion about the Irish Constitution and whether it reflects modern Irish society. Our Programme for Government last year committed to establishing a Constitutional Convention to consider comprehensive constitutional reform on a number of issues.

So on Tuesday evening, I met with representatives of the Opposition to discuss with them the Government’s plans to establish this Convention, and to request their participation in it.

It was a constructive meeting, and I will talk to the Government about the proposals raised there.

Very best wishes
Yours sincerely

Enda Kenny TD
Taoiseach