Irish firms seek to unlock China market at Hainan expo

News Snapshot:

In the middle of a vast, hangar-like space on a tropical island in the South China Sea on Saturday, stewards linked hands to control the crowd surrounding a replica Norman castle. This was the official opening of the Irish pavilion at the China International Consumer Products Expo in Haikou, where Ireland is guest of honour this year. Painted a deep shade of green, the pavilion had a row of whiskey bars along one side and food producers led by Kerry on the other, with a couple of dozen other companies occupying stands in between. Apart from food and drink, the...