The President, Mrs McAleese, told students here yesterday that the opening of the Special Olympics in Dublin this year was her proudest moment as President. Renagh Holohan reports from Shanghai
She urged students at the China Europe International Business School in Pudong to go to Riverdance, which opens in Shanghai at the weekend, if they wanted to see modern Ireland. It was a statement of Ireland's openness to the world as dances from across the globe were included.
In her speech she dwelt on Ireland's success in the EU. For nearly a decade China and the EU had entered into a dialogue to address common concerns and discuss differences "most notably in the field of human rights.
"This dialogue has deepened and broadened and it surely marks a maturing relationship when we can discuss candidly and constructively issues not only of mutual interest, but also of disagreement. In Europe we see China increasingly engaging in the international community, acting to promote peace and stability in its region and beyond, and we welcome this."
China, Mrs McAleese said, was now the EU's third-largest trading partner and the EU was a major investor in China. "Europe has a real stake in supporting China's continuing reform process and engagement with the rest of the world." Answering questions the President said the size and scale of China opening up posed questions of competition and every country, including Ireland, had worries about its own people and economy. But there was an enormous domestic market in China which would present huge opportunities for Irish business.
Thirty years ago Ireland had doubts about joining the EU but those worries were without foundation. "The opening up of China's economy can only mean good news in terms of world prosperity."
She spoke of the Special Olympics, the complete change in Ireland's relationship with its next door neighbour, the shared endeavour of the Northern peace process and Ireland's economic success which she attributed mainly to education. "If you only ever educate a small percentage of your population, you only ever realise a small percentage of your potential."