Irish participation at the International Charity Sale in Beijing

The Embassy participated on 11 October in the annual International Charity Sale organised the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

12 volunteers from the Irish Embassy and visa office sold Irish food and beverages to the over 10,000 people who were in attendance. Sponsors this year included the Ornua (Kerrygold cheeses and milk) and Bord Bia (Organic smoked salmon, Irish brown bread, chocolate and crisps). The event was an excellent opportunity to present quality Irish produce to an audience that showed a keen interest in Irish culture and the heritage of the products on display.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his wife Qian Wei visited the stand at which they were greeted by Mrs Rosemary Kavanagh, wife of Ambassador of Ireland to China Paul Kavanagh.

Minister Wang referred warmly to his time in Ireland during Premier Li Keqiang’s visit last May. Both he and his wife sampled Irish salmon and Irish coffee and purchased a number of items from the stand.

The stand raised a total amount of Rmb 18,040 which was contributed to the organiser’s charity fund. The chosen beneficiaries this year are rural teachers based in Yunnan Province.