The President, Mrs McAleese, and Dr Martin McAleese will depart from Dublin tomorrow on a nine-day State visit to China.
The Irish party, which includes the Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, will arrive in Hong Kong on Monday afternoon. After a number of engagements, including meeting executives of the Special Administrative Region and attending a reception for the Irish community, Mrs McAleese goes to Beijing.
Her three-day stay includes meeting President Hu Jintao, a performance of Riverdance in the Great Hall of the People and some sightseeing. On Saturday she will travel to Shenyang to open a new Glen Dimplex factory and goes on to Shanghai that night. The President will arrive back in Ireland on October 16th.
A total of 82 companies and institutions, 174 people in all, will join the President on various parts of her trip.
Organised by Enterprise Ireland, the business people will be trying to sell into China, to buy low-value-added goods or, in the case of educational institutions, to promote courses and establish relationships with Chinese universities and colleges. It is expected that deals totalling about €40 million will be set up as a result of Mrs McAleese's visit.