Minister for Investment and Trade Martin Hamilton-Smith will fly to South East Asia today for discussions around the State Government’s in-country trade representation in the region.

The trade mission will visit Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, meeting with key government officials to discuss embedding South Australian staff in the respective Austrade offices.

Mr Hamilton-Smith said increasing the state’s presence in South East Asia will help strengthen cultural and trade links with the region and was a key outcome of the recently launched South Australia-South East Asia Engagement Strategy.

“South East Asia is one of the world’s fastest growing economies, and there are exciting opportunities here to build on our existing ties with the region and open up new links that will help benefit South Australian businesses,” Mr Hamilton-Smith said.

“This strategy offers a detailed blueprint of how we can increase our presence in the South East Asia region and build stronger social, cultural and economic connections.

The strategy looks at how to strengthen ties between South Australia and each of the South East Asia countries – Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Myanmar, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Laos and Timor-Leste.

“As part of the strategy, the State Government will be increasing its presence in Austrade’s offices in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia,” Mr Hamilton-Smith said.

“I’m looking forward to meeting with our government and industry counterparts in Singapore and Malaysia to discuss this in more detail.

“The trip also presents a great opportunity to promote our new strategy and explore future opportunities for bilateral trade and engagement with our neighbours in South East Asia.”

Mr Hamilton Smith said the South Australia-South East Asia Engagement Strategy supports the State Government’s economic priority of promoting South Australia’s international connections and engagement, and builds on the existing engagement strategies for China and India.

“We look forward to working with business, the education sector, research and cultural institutions, sporting bodies, the media and the broader community to the benefit of all South Australians and our partners in South East Asia,” Mr Hamilton-Smith said.

The South Australia – South East Asia Engagement Strategy can be found at www.statedevelopment.sa.gov.au/southeastasia