POTENTIAL PARTNERS. Members of the United States business delegation visiting Manila from March 9-10, 2023 are looking for potential partners in the Philippines. The 10 US firms are part of the Trade Winds mission in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). (Photo courtesy of US Embassy)
MANILA – Ten United States-based businesses are in Manila this week for a trade mission to look for local partners and possibly expand their operations in the Philippines.
The US businesses here are part of the 120 companies joining the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) business mission of Trade Winds, the largest US government-led trade and business forum.
US Embassy in the Philippines senior commercial officer Paul Taylor said Trade Winds conducts trade and business mission annually, choosing one city to hold the forum, with some of the participating companies making stops to nearby countries seeking business opportunities.
This year, the business forum will be held in Bangkok, Thailand from March 13 to 15.
Taylor said the visiting US businesses will be meeting 60 Filipino companies during their Manila stop from March 9 to 10.
“We’ll bring in 60 Filipino potential partners… Our intention is that after those meetings, they will be able to identify the best partner for them to move forward,” he said in an interview.
The 10 US businesses looking for partners here are from different sectors including retail, energy, technology, defense, manufacturing and administrative support.
These companies are Duck Donuts, Global Accounting, Coursera, Inc., Rife International, Thales Defense & Security, Inc., Astranis Space Technologies Corp., UniXporter LLC, Vibrac, Key Resin Company and Dermaesthetics Beverly Hills Formula USA.
“Companies that are coming here are looking at ease of doing business… They are also looking for a workforce that they can hire and train and help to run their companies and they oftentimes find that here in the Philippines,” Taylor added.
US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson, in a welcome dinner she hosted for the visiting firms Thursday, said the companies that participated the Trade Winds mission represent the “best of America.”
“I encourage you to engage with mission delegates here and identify ways you can work with these American companies. Many of them are here for the first time, which demonstrates their keen interest in the potential of our vibrant bilateral trade and investment ties,” Carlson said.
Earlier, the envoy said trade between the Philippines and the US in 2022 exceeded USD33 billion. (PNA)
