OREANDA-NEWS. February 26, 2016. Transport Minister Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon visited Singapore and Burma to promote UK transport expertise and identify business opportunities for British companies in the transport infrastructure sector.

Lord Ahmad said:

I was delighted to represent the UK in Singapore and Burma, showcasing the government’s massive investment in UK transport infrastructure while promoting our expertise to an international market.

We want to make it clear to the world that the UK is open for business, with the skills and expertise that can be of real value to others like Singapore and Burma.

Lord Ahmad attended the Singapore Aviation Leadership Summit and Singapore Airshow, representing the UK government in a panel discussion on the future of global air hubs. The biennial Singapore Airshow is the largest in Asia, attracting ministers and delegates from over 76 countries. Over 4 days in Singapore, Lord Ahmad met Singapore’s Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Minister Mr Khaw Boon Wan, Senior Minister of State for Transport Mrs Josephine Teo, and held brush-by meetings with transport ministers representing 15 other countries at the airshow.

The visit provided opportunities to exchange views and experiences about transport infrastructure development projects in the UK and Singapore, as well as to showcase British consultancy, technical, financial and construction expertise in delivering such projects in the UK and Singapore. These engagements included a rail sector business roundtable with the Land Transport Authority, meetings with Changi Airport Group and the Maritime and Port Authority and maritime businesses. He also saw innovative driverless car trials taking place and met members of the British Chamber of Commerce.

As part of the 2-day visit to Rangoon, Lord Ahmad met Rangoon’s Mayor, U Hla Myint to discuss the development of Rangoon. He met the local and international business community, and development partners engaged in infrastructure development. He spoke at an event hosted by Rolls Royce Plc and UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) that highlighted Rolls-Royce’s ability to deliver excellence to Burmese companies and at a seminar jointly hosted by UKTI, the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) and BLP Law. During the seminar, Lord Ahmad set out the UK’s expertise in the transport infrastructure sector and some of the steps the UK government has made in terms of prioritisation and long-term planning.

During the visit Lord Ahmad announced US\\$300 million UK Export Finance (UKEF) cover to help UK companies export to Burma.