Australian business delegation to explore investment opportunities in PH

A delegation of 14 Australian businesses, including institutional investors and infrastructure firms, is set to arrive in the Philippines this week to meet with senior government officials and explore business opportunities in the country.

According to the Australian Embassy in the Philippines, the delegation will meet with government officials to discuss investment opportunities and regulatory framework in the agrifood, infrastructure, transportation, and energy sectors.

They will also meet with representatives of Philippine conglomerates and Australian companies that have presence in the country, and will be briefed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on co-investment opportunities.

The delegation will be led by Macquarie Group managing director and chief executive officer Shemara Wikramanayake, and will include C-level executives from Australia’s pension funds Australian Super and Future Fund, institutional investors IFM Investors and Investible, infrastructure firm Plenary Group, resources equity firm EMR Capital, corporates ANZ and Telstra, and agribusiness players Bega Foods, Costa Group, GrainCorp., Sunrice, and Pristine Pacific.

“Australia is continuing to seek opportunities to partner with the Philippines to help it reach its ambition to be an upper middle income economy soon,” Australian Ambassador to the Philippines H.E. HK Yu said in an emailed statement.

“This mission is more than a commercial venture; it’s a testament to the enduring friendship between Australia and the Philippines. We’re not just investing in business deals; we’re investing in our shared future,” Yu said.

The Philippines in March signed the second protocol to the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, which is seen to benefit micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) as this will facilitate their participation in international trade.

The Philippines and Australia are both part of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which includes the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), China, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand.—AOL, GMA Integrated News