A modest suite of offices in the heart of Beijing's business district houses the hopes and ambitions of Irish companies trying to cash in on the world's most exciting and fastest growing market.

Here in the Beijing Lufthansa Centre, Irish companies, with the assistance of Enterprise Ireland, the government agency responsible for the development of Irish industry, are striving to get a slice of the Chinese action.

Enterprise Ireland set up an office in China after the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, visited the world's most populous nation in September 1998. Up to then, a Great Wall of ignorance existed in China about Ireland, and vice versa. But recognising that Ireland was not engaged enough with Asia, Mr Ahern appointed a committee to draw up a plan to develop foreign earnings in the Asia-Pacific region. The Asia Strategy was born.

Heightened awareness of the opportunities in China has taken the place of ignorance, and the volume of trade between Ireland and the region continues to grow. Last year, exports from China and Hong Kong to Ireland were €1.285 billion, up 19.17 per cent on 2002. Imports were €2.597 billion, a 30 per cent increase on the previous year.

Last autumn, while leading the largest trade mission from Ireland, President McAleese officially opened the new Enterprise Ireland office in Beijing. It includes a "business incubator" centre designed to cater for up to six Irish companies at a time keen to dip a toe or two into China's business waters.

Heading up the agency in China is Dubliner, Alan Hobbs, who says that interest in the incubator service is very strong, especially from Irish software companies keen to target China's expanding IT market.

Efforts to develop a market in China for Irish companies have been helped by high-level political exchanges between the two countries since Mr Ahern's 1998 visit.

This will be further consolidated by the visit to Ireland this week of the Chinese Premier, Wen Jiabao, the second visit of a Chinese Premier to Ireland in only three years.

The success of Irish companies such as Iona Technologies (which Premier Wen visited this week) is encouraging others to target China. Since it started doing business in China in 1999, Iona has made great strides.

While the bulk of its business in China has been in the telecoms sphere, its products are also used in network management and new business applications. The company has won business in the financial services arena, including with the Shanghai Stock Exchange and its software is also being used by the Beijing Traffic Bureau as part of efforts by the Chinese authorities to improve traffic management in advance of the 2008 Olympics.

Another Irish company with an interest in traffic management, and which is also hoping to cash in on Olympic opportunities, is Infocell, which has been based in the Enterprise Ireland incubator unit since last autumn. Infocell, headquartered in Shankill in Dublin, provides public transport passenger information systems and relays real-time information on bus services to display units placed at bus stops.

The company has already had success in the UK market, with contracts for bus fleets operating in London, Greater Manchester, Southampton, Reading and other UK cities in recent years. It has also secured contracts in Holland and South Africa.

Now the company is pitching for business in China, where there are huge opportunities with city authorities all over the country expressing high levels of interest in the technology.

According to Betty Liao, who heads Infocell's China operation, China will play an important part in the continued growth of the company.

Ms Liao has several years experience representing international technology companies in China and holds a Masters in Engineering and Information Systems. She studied software in University College Galway and her experience of working in Ireland and China at a senior level was seen as a great asset to the group.

According to Ms Liao, the support Infocell is receiving from Enterprise Ireland is invaluable. "We are a small company and being able to introduce ourselves to China this way has been great. I have direct support here in the office and we have a lot of back up. If we get the orders in and we take on more staff then we will break off and set up our own office here."

As well as software, Enterprise Ireland is also placing a strong emphasis on the education sector. There are an estimated 20,000 Irish students studying in Ireland at present and earnings from foreign students into Ireland are worth in the region of €200 million annually.

Encouraging Chinese students to go to study in Ireland will also result in more business interactions and links between the two countries in the years ahead, says Alan Hobbs. These students will become the business connectors of the future.

In recent years almost all Irish third-level institutions and colleges have been represented at education fairs in China promoting the Irish third-level and English language sector.

The International Education Board of Ireland, established by the Irish government in 1993 to support the development of Ireland as an international education centre, has recently set up an office in the Enterprise Ireland incubator unit.

The board has representation from all sectors of Irish education including universities, institutes of technology, independent colleges and language schools.

According to Demi Yan, who runs the Beijing office, the board is promoting Ireland as a quality destination for students and acts as a national point of contact and referral to and from Irish suppliers of education services and the international market place.

"We are working closely with Enterprise Ireland to promote Ireland as a quality destination for Chinese students. The numbers are growing all the time. Being able to set up initially here in the Enterprise Ireland building is a great help and support to us."

The incubator unit gives Irish companies who want to do business in China a quick start up, says Alan Hobbs.

"There is a ready-made office, answering service, secretarial services and desk space. Plug in your laptop and away you go. It saves on a lot of red tape."

He said the ideal is for a company to stay up to a year with Enterprise Ireland. "After a year the idea is you expand and move on."

Mr Hobbs has noticed a recent trend of Irish companies outsourcing directly to China to maintain global competitiveness.

"Irish companies are more prepared to cut out the middle man and have more confidence than before. People are coming to realize that the rules for doing business in China are really no different to anywhere else in the world. It is not as difficult a platform to navigate as it was."

Last year saw the biggest ever trade mission from Ireland to China with 145 people from a total of 82 companies. Having President McAleese lead the trade mission was of huge benefit.

"One Irish company said five minutes with President McAleese and potential customers at a reception was better than six months of networking in China. She had a huge impact," says Mr Hobbs.

Apart from the IT and education sectors, Enterprise Ireland is also focusing on construction services and project management.

And this week the Taoiseach and the Chinese Premier signed an Approved Destination Status (ADS) Agreement which will open the way for more tour groups to travel from China to Ireland.

In the space of six short years, a strong relationship with mutual benefits has been built between the world's emerging economic powerhouse and one of Europe's smallest but most successful economies.