Speeches

U.S. Industry Reception
Remarks by Ambassador Patricia L. Herbold
February 22, 2006

Thank you, Amy, for that kind introduction.  I’m very happy to be able to join all of you this evening.  I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the American Chamber of Commerce of Singapore as the sponsor for tonight's reception.  I would also like to recognize the generous support of the Aerospace Industry Association.  Thanks to both of these organizations for making this wonderful evening possible.

I know that most of you here tonight have come to Singapore to participate in Asian Aerospace 2006.  I’ve met many of you at earlier events and in the exhibition halls and chalets.  Your participation in this air show demonstrates your commitment to Singapore and the region.  As I’ve mentioned several times during the week, the Asia Pacific region is the fastest growing aerospace market in the world.  Singapore will continue to capitalize on this growth and position itself as a key aerospace hub, and the market opportunities for U.S. companies will continue to expand.

As the U. S. Ambassador, I am very proud that the United States has the largest presence at Asian Aerospace 2006, with 150 exhibitors.  For those of you who have not yet visited the exhibits, I strongly encourage you to do so.  You will be amazed at the creativity, ingenuity and innovative technologies and products.

The U.S. Embassy is here to support you.  Our Foreign Commercial Service, under the leadership of George Ruffner, and our Office of Defense Cooperation, under the command of Colonel Gary Finchum, have put a tremendous amount of time and effort into making this Aerospace show a success for you.  I am truly fortunate to have such qualified, hard-working people on my team.  Please join me in thanking them for all that they’ve done to make this a great experience for you.   [Applause]

We hope that you have had success so far this week, and that you will conclude additional sales in the coming days.  Thank you for being here and enjoy the rest of the evening.