BEIJING

THE RECENT VISIT to Dublin of Chinese Premier Li Quang has left commentators speculating that he carried with him, as well as a desire for closer ties, his own country’s strong support for the Confucian solution of one country, two systems for a United Ireland.

The Chinese have applied this principle in Hong Kong and Macau, with varying degrees of success, and have even proposed it as a solution for the Taiwan stand-off. Taiwan, however, has not been enthusiastic for the idea. Instead, it is said, the Taiwanese offered two countries, one system – democracy.

The one country, two systems solution has previously been proposed for Israel-Palestine, the so-called Palestrael outcome .

Former Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney is said to be be a fan of the idea. While some in Dublin’s upper crust elites have entertained the notion for more selfish reasons. “Anything to keep the North separate, even if we have to unite with the bloody place,” said a newspaper writer for whom Ireland ends at the now invisible border.

How one country-two systems would work in Ireland is as yet undetermined.

“Since both are committed to capitalism and democracy, it’s not clear what system flexibility is left,” says American commentator Teddy Rockforest, whose recent book on novel ideas for governing ungovernable areas of the world, Run That By Me Again, is a New York Times Bestseller.

But kite-flying and strong Chinese support could give any Dublin government extra muscle when dealing with the issue of island unification if an when it ever arrives.