PHOTO RELEASE

Philippine Embassy, Canberra

1 Moonah Place, Yarralumla, ACT 2600
www.philembassy.org.au    *Tel. No. 02-6273-2535*

09 September 2024, SYDNEY – Philippine Ambassador to Australia and Chair of the ASEAN Committee in Canberra H.E. Ma. Hellen De La Vega delivered the keynote address at the reception hosted by Investment NSW on 28 August 2024 at the NSW Parliament House to welcome participants to the Australia-ASEAN Business Forum.

In her remarks, Ambassador De La Vega stated that as a key trading partner of Australia, ASEAN is eager to deepen cooperation and strengthen people-to-people connectivity. “We are excited about the prospect of welcoming more Australian businesses and investments into the vibrant ASEAN market where opportunities for growth, collaboration and innovation are vast”, Ambassador De La Vega highlighted.

The Ambassador expressed her appreciation to Investment NSW and the NSW government for supporting for the second time in a row the conduct of the Australia-ASEAN Business Forum on 29-30 August 2024 which brings together government and business leaders and experts from Australia and ASEAN.

It will be the fifth time the forum has been held and the first since the launch of the Australian Government’s Invested: Australia's Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040 blueprint in Jakarta last September 2023.

ASEAN as a bloc is NSW’s third largest trading partner, with two-way trade in goods worth a combined $36.4 billion. - END