The go to from the High Commissioner to Singapore comes two months after the UK’s Ambassador to Spain was in Greater Manchester and the UK’s international ambassadors are queuing as much as promote the area. Jo Timan experiences.
The UK’s international ambassadors are queuing as much as promote Greater Manchester to the world as a part of the federal government’s plan to spice up commerce. The High Commissioner to Singapore visited town on Monday (September 1) – his first cease on a ‘roadshow’ throughout the UK final week.
It follows a go to from the UK’s Ambassador to Spain, Alex Ellis, to Greater Manchester in July. The visits come after the previous international secretary dispatched his high diplomats throughout the UK this summer time to construct hyperlinks between areas within the UK and abroad markets.
The go to from the UK’s High Commissioner to Singapore final week comes two months after Greater Manchester despatched a delegation, led by mayor Andy Burnham, to town state in South East Asia. This go to to Singapore was shortly adopted by a commerce mission to Japan.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, Nikesh Mehta, the High Commissioner to Singapore, stated that Greater Manchester already has hyperlinks to town state, with a Singaporean firm working some Bee Network buses, however he hopes these ties will get stronger.
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He stated: “I feel Singapore actually sees some synergies with among the issues which might be taking place in Manchester. So we begin from a very good base. You can look across the metropolis centre and see proof of Singaporean funding flowing in.”
During his go to, the High Commissioner was taken on a tour of the Victoria North growth close to town centre the place 15,000 properties are set to be constructed by Hong Kong-based agency FEC and Manchester council, with some funding coming from Singapore.
Mr Mehta additionally met with the vice chancellor of the University of Manchester to speak about partnerships in innovation and analysis.
He additionally spent a while with the Hallé Orchestra whose conductor Kahchun Wong he described because the Son Heung-min of Singapore.
The High Commissioner praised the Singaporean ‘rock star’ for forging cultural hyperlinks with Greater Manchester. But he was additionally eager to spotlight the enterprise hyperlinks between the city-region and town state, together with a £422m funding into our transport community.
Earlier this 12 months, Metroline, a subsidiary of Singapore-based ComfortDelGro Corporation, started working bus providers in Greater Manchester as a part of the Bee Network. This enlargement added 420 buses and over 1,350 staff to Metroline’s UK operation.
Mr Mehta additionally stated that Singapore is now Greater Manchester’s third fastest-growing providers export market, with exports practically doubling between 2019 and 2022. He is now hoping to see extra funding circulate in following a cope with Singaporean financial institution OCBC.
It comes after town state’s second largest financial institution signed a partnership with the UK in April with the goal of financing £10bn of funding from the Asia Pacific area. Mr Mehta stated that OCBC are ‘actively financing initiatives in Manchester’.
He informed the M.E.N.: “I feel they’re initiatives usually that make sense for his or her priorities however definitely housing developments, together with areas which might be going to have combined use housing with inexpensive housing as a significant factor.
“I feel that Singaporean corporations will proceed to be actually, actually within the ambitions of Greater Manchester.”
Following the go to from Mr Mehta, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham stated: “It was a privilege to welcome the UK High Commissioner to Singapore to point out him the size of our ambition in Greater Manchester.
“Earlier this 12 months [Manchester council leader] Bev Craig and I led a Greater Manchester mission to Singapore, and we have been happy to have the chance to additional strengthen {our relationships} with this go to.
“Singapore is a vital buying and selling companion and its joined-up method to authorities, financial system and infrastructure presents precious insights for Greater Manchester because the UK’s most devolved city-region.
“Greater Manchester is a metropolis area with a worldwide attain. Our engagement with cities and international locations internationally helps us kickstart one other decade of development by delivering new jobs and boosting innovation, whereas supporting current industries and attracting new ones.”
