Irish minister in Macau to meet gov’t, community leaders

Alan Kelly

Irish Minister for the Environment, Community & Local Government, Alan Kelly, is visiting Macau and today meets with the Secretary for Transport and Public Works in an effort to strengthen ties between the two regions, revealed Niall Murray, chairman of the Irish Chamber of Commerce of Macau (ICCM).
Mr Murray told the Times that, “the Irish government is very keen on building relationships with Macau” and the minister’s visit is timed to coincide with St. Patrick’s Day, Ireland’s National Day, as part of a program of visits by Ireland’s government ministers, who are looking to partner with several countries around the world.
Ireland’s environment minister visits Macau alongside the consul general of Ireland to Hong Kong and Macau, Peter Ryan, who recently took office. This is the second ever Macau visit by an Irish government minister, after Irish Minister of State for Finance Simon Harris visited Macau in January.
Irish environment minister, Mr Kelly, also the deputy leader of Ireland’s Labour Party, will meet with the Secretary for Transport and Public Works as well as members of the ICCM.
“This is basically an opportunity for them to meet and have a dialogue regarding environmental issues,” said Mr Murray. “Ireland is very clean and green, it’s a renowned country that has very good records of environmental protection, [known also for its] good air and water quality.” The minister is expected to provide a glimpse into Ireland’s environmental strategies.
“Ireland is a very environmentally conscious country, so this will be an open dialogue and the minister will probably talk about what Ireland does in terms of control of emissions,” Mr Murray added.
According to him, the Irish delegation is keen on briefing the Macau government on Ireland’s latest environmental developments, but is also interested in discussing furthering business relations, addressing overlapping areas of interest.
Minister Kelly’s visit to Macau is part of a wider visit to China, with missions planned to Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing. “Ireland is a global center for financial services and Minister Kelly will be personally briefing members of the Irish business community on the government’s new International Financial Services Strategy, which was launched just last week,” added Mr Murray.
Alan Kelly previously served as Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. As minister of environment, he has a particular interest in housing and planning policies. Mr Kelly also served as senator (2007 to 2009) and Member of the European Parliament (MEP), where he was part of the Internal Market Committee and the US-EU Inter-parliamentary delegation, among other committees.
Currently, there are about 49 Irish nationals living in Macau, according to Mr Murray. “It’s a small community but the [commercial] chambers in Macau and Hong Kong are working closely together to try to build up the Irish community and the Irish business network here,” he reiterated.
Mr Murray recalled that Ireland is famous for its hospitality as well as for “its beautiful food and beverages.”
The Irish Chamber of Commerce of Macau, founded two years ago, is stepping up efforts on both fronts, raising awareness in Ireland of opportunities in Macau, while also providing local businesses and residents a glimpse into the opportunities that might await them in Ireland.