The new Singapore-based Investment and Trade Commissioner will be WA’s second in the ASEAN region. Photo: Singapore Economic Development Board.
The Western Australia Government is set to expand its presence in South-East Asia by announcing a new Investment and Trade Commissioner to be based in Singapore.
The new position will strengthen WA’s trade presence in the ASEAN region, building on the existing role based in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta headed up by the Acting Investment and Trade Commissioner for ASEAN Bryce Green.
WA also has Investment and Trade Commissioners or representatives based in the US, China, Japan, South Korea, India, the Middle East, Germany and the UK.
The government says that, as part of its 2024-25 state budget it has allocated $4.4 million to establish a second Trade Commissioner role in the ASEAN region to manage investment and trade enquiries flowing from these important markets.
Over the past two years, the WA trade presence in the ASEAN region has expanded through new locations established in Vietnam, Kuala Lumpur and the Philippines.
The new Singapore-based Investment and Trade Commissioner will have oversight of the Invest and Trade WA offices in Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia, while the Jakarta-based Investment and Trade Commissioner will retain responsibility for the state’s presence in Indonesia and the Philippines.
The WA Government says Singapore was the state’s fourth largest trading partner in 2022-23, with trade totalling $16 billion. It also says the ASEAN region is Western Australia’s number one region for trade leads and an important region for investment interest, particularly in renewable energy.
WA Premier Roger Cook said the state’s economic future depended on strong relationships with its trading partners across the rapidly growing ASEAN region.
“Our new Investment and Trade Commissioner position will help us to tap into new markets, unlock new business opportunities and support local jobs right across WA,” he said.
“Our network of trade offices is going from strength to strength under my government, as part of my commitment to doing what’s right for WA and setting up our state for the future.”
