UK Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy leads visit of 25 UK companies to the Philippines
Lord Marland's visit aims to boost trade and investment links between the UK and the Philippines.
Lord Jonathan Marland, the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy, will be in Manila for a long-planned visit on 2-3 December 2013 in line with the UK’s commitment to boost its trade and investment links between the UK and the Philippines.
Travelling with Lord Marland will be three trade missions consisting of 25 multi-sector companies from various parts of the United Kingdom and a delegation of UK infrastructure companies from South Korea based in Manila and Seoul.
Promoting enterprise and investment is a key way of supporting economic growth in the Philippines, including areas that have recently been affected by natural calamities such as Leyte, Cebu and Bohol. The interest of the participating British companies is a tangible demonstration of the UK’s continuing confidence in the economic fundamentals of the Philippines and its commitment to strengthening and deepening mutual trade links.
This visit comes after the visit UK Minister for Trade & Investment, Lord Stephen Green to the Philippines last September and the visit of Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) Secretary Gregory Domingo to the UK last October. The UK is the highest European and fourth highest overall source of FDI in the Philippines and in 2012 total UK exports to the Philippines were up 13% at over £550 million.
UK success in Philippines
In recent years more and more British companies are expanding and entering the Philippine market. Among the recent successes in terms of the increasing British activity in the Philippine market are:
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launch of clothing brand River Island
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opening of the new Bentley showroom and the entry of Rolls Royce
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tender won by GlaxoSmithKline with the Philippines’ Department of Health for the supply of pneumococcal vaccine this year
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start of deliveries of new Airbus planes with major British components following the $7 billion deal with Philippine Airlines.
Lord Marland’s visit
During his visit, Lord Marland will be meeting various high-level government officials and business leaders in trade, infrastructure and finance, to promote the deepening partnerships between the two countries. In particular he will:
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hold discussions with his counterparts in the Philippines Government
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hold a range of meetings with senior business leaders to discuss potential commercial opportunities and partnerships
The missions are organised in cooperation with the:
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London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI)
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UK-ASEAN Business Council (UKABC)
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UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) Northwest
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Korea Railroad Research Institute (KRRI)
Partners of these missions include the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) of the Philippines and British multinational bank, HSBC.
Contact UK Trade & Investment Manila
With professional advisers both within the UK and across more than 100 international markets, UK Trade & Investment is the Government Department that helps UK-based companies succeed in the global economy and assists overseas companies to bring their high-quality investment to the UK.
Contact UK Trade & Investment Manila to find out more about these services at: uktimanila@fco.gov.uk or call +63 2 858 2200.