Chairman’s address
Dear Friends of Northern Ireland in China and around the world,
Happy Chinese New Year and I trust that 2017 brings health and happiness to you and your loved ones.
FNIC had a great 2016, with our quarterly socials, meeting with various ministers from Northern Ireland, including the First Minister Mrs. Arlene Foster, working with Invest Northern Ireland on the Trade Mission in November and culminating in our annual Christmas Dinner in December where we raised money for another library in a rural primary school through The Library Project.
In 2017 we will be launching our regular business briefings in Shanghai, and we look forward to another prosperous year for FNIC, getting as many people as possible involved in all the work we do.
I look forward to seeing you at our FNIC events in 2017.
Stephen Graham
Chairman, FNIC
“Our goal is to raise the profile of Northern Ireland in China through a range of initiatives relating to Business, Culture, Sport and Tourism. The FNIC will look to help NI companies do business in China and help raise awareness among Chinese investors/tourists of the opportunities/attractions available in NI. The FNIC is run by private individuals including Diaspora from NI, Alumni of NI Universities and others with an interest in strengthening relationships between China and NI. We look to work closely with the relevant partner organisations, both government and non-government.”
Visit of First Minister
Breakfast meeting in Shanghai with the First Minister, Arlene Foster.
Stephen Graham, Chairman FNIC
On Tuesday 6th December, FNIC had the privilege of having a breakfast meeting in Shanghai with the First Minister, Arlene Foster, facilitated by Tim Losty of the NI Bureau in Beijing. The First Minister was in Shanghai to take part in the Government level People to People talks and spoke about the meetings she had planned with the Vice Premier of China, Liu Yandong, as well as other meetings in Shenyang and Beijing.
Over breakfast in the Shangri-La Hotel, Pudong, we had the opportunity to highlight our expertise in a range of industries from education, tourism, food and textiles, and our collective years of experience in China.
Arlene Foster and her team, which included Sir Malcolm McKibbin, the head of the NI Civil service and a UTV camera crew, were interested in learning more about our group and how we could work with NI business who want to set up in China and Chinese businesses who are interested in NI. She also wanted to know what she could do for us back in NI and it was suggested she spread the word about the group so others may be aware of our presence and expertise.
The First Minister had heard about us through other ministers who have been here but it was still great to get such high level exposure and for news about our wee group to be taken back home.
FNIC Events Review
QUARTERLY SOCIAL
NOVEMBER 20TH at Kartel
Our last Quarterly Social event for 2016 was very well attended despite the terrible weather, with over 30 members gathering at Kartel in Shanghai.
It was a great chance to meet some new friends and enjoy the company of older ones.
Christmas Dinner
Thursday 15th December, Tipsy Fiddler, Shanghai
Our 2nd Annual Christmas dinner was better attended than last year while the craic, music and opportunities to mix were all the same as you have come to expect from an FNIC Social evening.
Mark Graham organised the event and MC’d like a professional. Alan provided the music and was joined later by Annemarie and Dave Anderson to add drums and the violin to the atmosphere.
The food was superbly prepared and served by the staff at the Tipsy Fiddler and the drinks flowed to add to the evening’s festivities.
The Chairman, yours truly, gave a short speech welcoming everyone to the Dinner, including the Irish Consul General, Ms. Therese Healey.
He also thanked those who contributed gifts for the raffle, including:-
- Howard Bennet and his team from the Radisson Hotel group who donated nights at 6 different locations for the Hotels in Shanghai.
- Dillon King for the Glenrothe’sWhiskey,
- Mark Graham for the Cashmere Scarf from Holland and Sherry,
- Icarus Tang for the Chateau de la Ligne Red wine,
- An Ulster Fry breakfast pack from our own Breakfast Champion Andrew Brown,
- A case of Prosecco and Johnny Walker Blue label from Neal Beatty,
- Vouchers for Pizza Delphina from Sophie Lo,
- Vouchers for Seve’s Italian restaurant from Seve,
- Tickets for any show at the Pearl from Ryan O’Reilly,
- Apple headphones from Rory Sexton.
All went into the Raffle and the money raised from this and from personal donations will met the 23,000 RMB needed to build a new library for the Library Project. So we have to give a big Thank You to all of you who donated gifts, came along to the Dinner and bought raffle tickets. And of course congratulations to the winners.
Stephen Graham
CHINA AND NORTHERN IRELAND
Ministerial visits
Chris Hazzard, MLA – Minister for Infrastructure
FNIC has been busy recently meeting up with Government ministers including the Minister for Infrastructure Chris Hazzard MLA. He was here with his team visiting Wuhan and Shanghai looking at the infrastructure for both inland networks and ports. They took a few hours out of their busy schedule for refreshments and discussions with Paul, Stephen and Mark. This was a first trip to Shanghai for most of their team, except for Sean Boyd who had been teaching in Zhengzhou for 1 1/2 years.
There was interest in the FNIC set-up and our connections in many different fields with talk that there would help to propagate our name back home.
Michelle McIlveen, Northern Ireland Minister for Agriculture
NORTHERN IRELAND HOPING TO PLAN A PART IN FUTURE UK-CHINA RELATIONS
Michelle McIlveen, Northern Ireland Minister for Agriculture, recently led a trade mission to Shanghai in November as Northern Ireland seeks to play a role in the "golden age" of UK-China relations. Our relations with china go back over a hundred years and our future relations should continue. Several high standing political ministers have or have had recent trips to China to demonstrate Northern Ireland's commitment to building a relationship with China. Since Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the UK last year, relations between China and the UK have entered a "golden age."
Michelle McIlveen, Northern Ireland Minister for Agriculture in Pudong November
Following agreements between China and Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Bureau set up a representative office in Beijing and the first Consulate General of China in Northern Ireland was opened in Belfast last year. It was Michelle’s first trip to China since being appointed Agriculture Minister in May. She came to China to promote the safe, high-quality agri-food products of Northern Ireland. During the trade mission in Shanghai, McIlveen visited the Northern Ireland booth at FHC, an event for imported food, drink and hospitality industries in China. Eleven companies from Northern Ireland visited and exhibited this year.
Michelle said at the reception that 2016 is "the year of food and drink" in Northern Ireland to celebrate their food industry.
Northern Ireland exports more than 70 percent of their food to countries across the world. They have been exporting top-quality dairy products to the Chinese for many years. Several large food businesses such as Moy Park and Dale Farm are increasing sales in the global marketplace. The visiting Companies made use of the trade mission to build relationships with local Shanghai importers and distributors to help promote their high-quality products.
Invest Northern Ireland already works with the UK's Department for International Trade to promote the use of e-commerce in overseas markets and hopefully this will continue to help us extend our help of businesses to other companies of Northern Ireland. Some of the companies partaking in the trade mission event were Argento, Irwins, Tayto and Denman International Ltd to name but a few.
Biscuits from Irwin's Bakery
FNIC COMMENT ON THE RECENT TRADE MISSION
The week beginning 7th November proved to be a very busy one for the FNIC Committee, as we were involved in facilitating and hosting the Invest Northern Ireland trade mission to Shanghai. The reception on Tuesday 8th November provided an excellent opportunity for the delegates and exhibitors from Northern Ireland to meet and interact with potential partners and many of the FNIC members.
Vicki Chiu, Invest NI Shanghai welcomed the guest speakers, Michelle McIlveen, Minister for Agriculture and Alastair Hamilton, Chief Executive Invest Northern Ireland. Ms. McIlveen said she was delighted to be part of this Trade Mission to Shanghai and that she hoped that partnerships that were already in place would be strengthened still further and new opportunities for both Northern Ireland and China explored and developed.
Mr. Hamilton, who was leading the Invest Northern Ireland Trade Mission to Shanghai, spoke about the “golden age” in UK-China relations and how Northern Ireland is playing its part in this. Manufacturing exports to China have increased considerably in recent years. In 2010/11 Northern Ireland exports totalled £60 million and by 2015/16 they had increased to 89 million. It was encouraging to learn about the appointment of the first Consul General of the People’s Republic of China to Northern Ireland and we were delighted that he acknowledged the great work of FNIC too. It was a privilege for us all to be part of this successful trade mission and support their strapline “Northern Ireland, home of the world’s most business friendly city of its size”.
Lunch with the Minister
As part of the Invest NI trade mission in early November, FNIC committee members were kindly invited to join the NI Minister for Agriculture, Miss Michelle McIlveen, along with Alastair Hamilton, Invest NI CEO, and other distinguished guests for a private lunch. FNIC briefed the ministerial delegation on its various milestones over the course of its first year.
FNIC was warmly commended by the Minister for its efforts in raising the profile of Northern Ireland in China, acting as unofficial cultural and commercial ambassadors. FNIC also took the opportunity to emphasize how important the ongoing support of NI Assembly Ministers is to its activity here, especially those with a specific interest in engaging with China at a diplomatic and commercial level. FNIC is looking forward to strengthening these ties for collaborative working in 2017.
Non-FNIC Events in Shanghai
FEXCO ASIAN GAELIC GAMES 5-6TH NOVEMBER
EMMA CATNEY
For anyone who attended the Fexco Asian Gaelic Games (AGGs) over the 5th – 6th November, they’ll know it’s a weekend where friends are reunited, new friendships made and great craic was had by all and this year was no different.
Featuring 65 teams representing 20 clubs from across 18 countries in Asia, the AGGs saw more than 600 Irish, as well as a huge number of non-Irish GAA players, come together to battle it out in over 200 fixtures. Shanghai welcomed 40 players from the Live Life Lisa Orsi Foundation team from Derry, a team from UCD and teams from other major cities across the continent.
This year saw Singapore A Ladies win the Lisa Orsi Cup in a fierce game against Seoul A and Shanghai A Men win the Derek Brady Cup in a game against Hong Kong A which will go down in AGG history as one of the most exciting finals. Shanghai Ladies B team also won the Junior Plate against Seoul B in a grueling final. Thailand won the Hurling competition in an incredible fight against Hong Kong A.
We also had the pleasure of welcoming several GAA celebrities who made the journey out from Ireland to coach and commentate over the weekend; Cora Staunton from Mayo, Brian Cullen from Dublin and the legendary Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh!
Come Sunday evening, everyone was looking forward to the dinner (fancy dress of course) and the awards ceremony. Everyone ate and danced to their heart’s content at the Shangri-La Hotel and, as if that wasn’t enough, they then rocked the infamous Zapata’s for the after party that went on
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