Western Australia to establish investment and trade office in Chennai
- WA Government to establish new investment and trade office in Chennai
- Deputy Premier Roger Cook announced the new office at an Invest and Trade WA event in Chennai
- Chennai is the last stop on the Government-led Invest and Trade Mission to India 2022, which also included Delhi, Mumbai, and Visakhapatnam
The ‘Gateway to South India’, Chennai is the newest location in Western Australia’s network of international offices.
Announced by Deputy Premier Roger at an Invest and Trade WA event in the South Indian port city, the new office will help strengthen business and people to people ties with the region.
With International Education Minister David Templeman, the Deputy Premier has led Western Australia’s largest ever business delegation on an eight-day mission across four Indian cities, wrapping up in Chennai on July 19.
The capital of Tamil Nadu, Chennai is a thriving centre for manufacturing, software development and finance.
The new office will provide a vital trade link between the State and South India, supporting Western Australian businesses pursuing opportunities within the region.
Chennai will be a spoke office within the India-Gulf Hub of the WA International Investment and Trade Office Network, which also includes Mumbai and Dubai.
The setup and operations of the Chennai office will be overseen by the Investment and Trade Commissioner for India-Gulf, Ms Nashid Chowdhury.
Established more than 25 years ago, Mumbai was the first investment and trade office opened by the WA Government on the sub-continent.
Wesern Australia has always maintained a strong relationship with India, and the WA Government is committed to fostering these close economic and cultural ties.
In 2021, India was Western Australia’s seventh largest trading partner with total trade valued at AUD $4.6 billion, accounting for more than 17 per cent of total trade between Australia and India.
Western Australia exported $3.2 billion of goods to India in 2021, above the annual average of $2.4 billion over the past 10 years.
Chennai is one of four new spoke offices to be established by the WA Government in 2022-23 to strengthen investment and grow opportunities within the State’s key markets. The network currently has offices located in London, Singapore, Jakarta, Shanghai, Mumbai, Dubai, Tokyo and Seoul.
Comments attributed to State Development, Jobs and Trade Minister Roger Cook:
“A thriving port city and the capital of Tamil Nadu, India’s second largest economy, Chennai is the perfect fit for a new investment and trade office.
“Home to an economy known for innovative manufacturing, Chennai is already well regarded within the WA business community as an advanced engineering hub.
“The new Chennai office will help grow the mutually beneficial trading relationship between Western Australia and India.
“The WA Government is committed to growing the strong relationship with India, which is underpinned by common values, strong people-to-people connections, and substantial trade and investment links
