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An Tánaiste leads trade and investment mission to Singapore and Japan

Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald is on a five-day joint Enterprise Ireland / IDA Ireland trade mission to Singapore and Japan.

The objectives of the trade mission include; supporting participating Irish companies to further their relationships with new and existing customers in Singapore and Japan, deepening relationships with existing IDA clients to secure further investments for Ireland, positioning Ireland as a post-Brexit solution for Asian companies, and promoting the potential of EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement, particularly from a ‘new opportunities for Irish companies’ perspective.

An Tánaiste will have bilateral meetings with Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, and Minister for Trade and Industry, Lim Hng Kiang, during which she will underline Ireland’s commitment to the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement, exchange views on the global and regional impact of Brexit on trade, and outline the opportunities for Singaporean firms to expand their markets in the EU using Ireland as a hub.

Minister Fitzgerald TD said:

This visit will strengthen our existing economic ties with Singapore and Japan and raise awareness of what Ireland can offer, both as a potential location for companies from the Asia-Pacific region and as a source of high-quality, innovative products and services. I look forward to engaging with key decision makers at the highest levels in Government and industry to promote Ireland as a source of world-class products and services across the healthcare, engineering, education, aerospace and digital sectors.

Exports from Irish companies to Singapore are increasing and now many of these wish to push further into Asia.

During the trade mission, Án Tánaiste will promote Ireland and its world-class companies during a series of high level business engagements, including an address to Keidanren, Japan’s largest business association with over 1,600 members, covering Ireland’s Economy, Trade & Investment, the Japan-Europe Economic Partnership Agreement and Brexit, and a networking event hosted by the Irish Ambassador to Singapore for the Irish Diaspora and wider Irish Community.