Thursday, February 7, 2013

Multi-sector US trade mission in town, first in post-war

A multi-sector US Trade Mission – the first since the end of the conflict is in town for two days to explore business and investment opportunities in Sri Lanka.


The US Embassy in a statement said the delegation is in Colombo today and tomorrow. Prior to Colombo stay, the delegation visited Chennai and Cochin, India as a part of what the Embassy described as “3C” exploratory program. 

“The 3C Trade Mission includes companies in the education sector, design consulting services and engineering, food industries, healthcare, airline support, and infrastructure development,” the statement added.

The Daily FT learns the eight US companies scheduled to participate include:  AI+ Architecture LLC (Architecture), First Med USA (Medicare), Fort Hill Infrastructure (FHI) Services, LLC (Infrastructure) ,  North Central University (NCU) (Education ), Sabre Airline Solutions (Aviation),  Wing Zone International (Food Franchise) and GE India (IT). The delegation will aim to expand bi-lateral trade between Sri Lanka and the United States by establishing mutually beneficial trade partnerships.

The United States is the largest single country market for Sri Lankan exports, and the U.S. Embassy is seeking increased bilateral trade.  U.S. Embassy Economic Counselor Allison V. Areias-Vogel explained, “Enhanced trade would further strengthen our economic ties, create opportunities for fruitful joint ventures and distributorships, and bring quality U.S. products to Sri Lankan consumers.”

The mission is designed to foster commercial engagement and lasting relationships by creating a forum to discuss prospective business opportunities and to explore avenues for collaboration.  The participating U.S. companies on this mission, most of which are new to Sri Lanka, will discuss the investment climate and the potential within specific sectors with representatives from the Government of Sri Lanka, the U.S. Embassy, and the local business community. 

 The US Embassy has partnered with the American Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka to schedule one-to-one meetings with the visiting delegation.  Local companies in Sri Lanka that are interested in contacting the trade delegation can email the U.S. Commercial Service office in Colombo: CommercialColombo@state.gov.

source - www.ft.lk

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