Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

All of the work the Deputy calls for is taking place. This is why a mission to China took place last week and why we have had such contact at a senior level between Chinese political figures, Government Ministers and Irish politicians to put in place an arrangement where certain services can be launched. The Deputy knows that for a service to be either launched or maintained, the demand from either tourists or investors has to be there. Through measures like the visa programme, which is proving to be a huge success, and our contact with the Chinese civil aviation authority and the Chinese Government, the Government is putting strong measures in place and working, hopefully, to land such a link in the future. A really important development is taking place this weekend when we will have the first direct access between Ireland and Africa. I know that all of the figures that have been involved in making this happen are working as hard in making the Ireland-China route happen at a point in the future.

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