Western Australia’s investment office to come up in Chennai

CHENNAI: The ‘gateway to south India’, Chennai is the newest location in Western Australia’s network of international offices. Announced by Deputy Premier Roger Cook at an Invest and Trade WA event here, the new office will help strengthen business and people to people ties with the region.

With International Education Minister David Templeman, the Deputy Premier has led Western Australia’s largest ever business delegation on an eight-day mission across four Indian cities, wrapping up in Chennai on July 19.

Chennai is a thriving centre for manufacturing, software development and finance. The new office will provide a vital trade link between the State and south India, supporting Western Australian businesses pursuing opportunities within the region.

Chennai will be a spoke office within the India-Gulf Hub of the WA International Investment and Trade Office Network, which also includes Mumbai and Dubai. The setup and operations of the Chennai office will be overseen by the Investment and Trade Commissioner for India-Gulf, Nashid Chowdhury.

Established more than 25 years ago, Mumbai was the first investment and trade office opened by the WA Government on the sub-continent. Western Australia has always maintained a strong relationship with India, and the WA Government is committed to fostering these close economic and cultural ties.

In 2021, India was Western Australia’s seventh largest trading partner with total trade valued at Aus $4.6 billion, accounting for over 17 per cent of total trade between Australia and India.

Western Australia exported $3.2 billion of goods to India in 2021, above the annual average of $2.4 billion over the past 10 years. State development, jobs and trade minister Roger Cook said “Chennai is the perfect fit for a new investment and trade office.”