Overview

The Ireland China Institute (ICI) is a new independent think tank based in Dublin, Ireland which was officially launched in October 2019. With its maxim bridging the gap between knowledge and understanding, it seeks to strengthen Irish-Chinese diplomatic relations, developing cultural links, fostering a deeper understanding of the respective cultural norms and values, deepening economic relations to the mutual advantage of both countries and encouraging interaction between educationalists, scholars and students. The ICI originated with a project on China set up some fifteen years ago at the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA), which sought to examine the strategic implications of the re-emergence of China as a major global player and to facilitate the exchange of information between Irish and Chinese policy-makers and educationalists. The success of the work programme and the ever-increasing importance of China led to the set up a separate working group on Irish-Chinese affairs under the auspices of the IIEA. An organising committee was established in 2013, out of which came a mission statement and initial objectives. During this preparatory period, study visits were made to Chinese policy-makers and think tanks, while discussions were held with their counterparts in Ireland. As a result of this further research, it was decided to increase the scale of ambition and to create a separate think-tank on an independent basis. A constitution for the Ireland China Institute was drafted and potential directors recruited.