The Government's plan to boost Irish trade with Asia, including China, will be reviewed quickly following last week's visit by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, to China.
The week-long trade mission, involving 200 Irish companies saw €115 million worth of deals, and, more importantly, laid the seeds for further business, Enterprise Ireland predicted.
Leaving Hong Kong on Saturday, Mr Ahern said China would become "a trillion-dollar economy" in a few years. "We need just a small part of that to keep us successful in the years ahead. I am not even asking for a large part of it."
The Government's Asia Strategy has been in place since 1998, though senior officials now admit "it must move up a gear and more" to cope with the dramatic opportunities offered by growth in China and elsewhere in the Asia/Pacific region.
However, Mr Ahern said the Government's increased focus would not lead to "offices opening up everywhere" throughout the region.
Pointing to the opportunities offered by China's coastal provinces alone, including Guangdong, Mr Ahern said: "We don't have to be all over the place. I don't even think that we should try to do that."
A strategy for Asia to run up to 2010 will be drawn up in weeks involving the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Education and Science, Enterprise Ireland and other agencies.
Mr Ahern also indicated that the Industrial Development Authority could set up an office in Shanghai to attract Chinese companies to start up operations in Ireland. "Shanghai, in particular, is looking for foreign direct investment opportunities abroad. We can go after that," Mr Ahern told The Irish Times.
Shannon Development last week pitched to a number of Chinese companies to set up so-called "incubator" factories in its area that could grow to serve the EU and US market.
Questioned again about China's human rights record, Mr Ahern said he had been impressed by President Hu Jintao's commitment to making changes to the country's judicial system.
The Chinese government, he said, had listened to the criticisms of the world community, though he emphasised his acceptance of the Chinese argument that progress had to be gradual.
Meanwhile, Mr Ahern said the Bush administration had not lobbied him over its opposition to the dropping of the EU's embargo on arms sales to China. Throughout the visit, Mr Ahern has made clear that he supports the ending of the ban, subject to safeguards being put in place.
Though the British government had been hesitant about making concessions to Beijing, Mr Ahern said he believed the UK was now ready to do so. "You will see the United Kingdom's strategic interest sorting this out, probably during its EU presidency (later this year), and they will probably claim that they were the ones to sort it out."
Meanwhile, Mr Ahern met with Father Joseph Mallon, whose father, Michael, was one of the volunteers killed during the Easter Rising.
Before his departure on Saturday night, Mr Ahern attended a GAA all-Stars match involving the Vodafone 2003 and 2004 all-stars, which was attended by hundreds of Irish living in Asia.
