Speeches

Offshore Southeast Asia U.S. Reception
Remarks for Ambassador Patricia L. Herbold
Conrad Hotel, Singapore
December 6, 2006

 

Thank you, Dan.

It’s my pleasure to join you all this evening.  I’d like to take just a few minutes to welcome everyone here tonight.  I will start by thanking ConocoPhillips --  Jim McColgin, who is the President, Asia Pacific, and his colleagues here tonight --  for  support of our trade promotion program overall and thank you specifically for ConocoPhillips' sponsorship of this most enjoyable reception.

Tonight we are honoring and introducing the more than two dozen American firms exhibiting at Offshore Southeast Asia.  I’m delighted to see so many Singaporean companies here.  Please take a look around: many of the Americans joining us tonight represent new-to-market U.S companies eager to do business in Singapore and in the region. Many of these companies are small and medium sized enterprises, and they offer innovative products and services that are suitable for the sophisticated Singapore marketplace and the wider Southeast Asian region.  Their presence here in Singapore for Offshore Southeast Asia demonstrates their clear commitment to the Asia Pacific market.

I urge you to take the opportunity this evening to network.  I hope you will establish connections that develop into commercial relationships.  The Foreign Commercial Service Team, led by Dan Thompson, is here to support you.  We are glad you’re here, and wish you tremendous success this week.

Thank you.