New US trade summit to focus on technology, innovation

Annabel Hepworth, theaustralian.com.au

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Excerpt:

Trade Minister Andrew Robb has vowed a new trade summit to the US will have a different focus to the “G’day USA” [see] summit as he works on re-energising commercial ties with Australia’s biggest two-way investment partner.

The Australian can reveal the Australia-US Business Week, to be held in February, will be designed to complement other major similar events in China, India and Indonesia.

It can also reveal that the Business Council of Australia will be involved.

While G’Day USA tends to have a focus on public diplomacy, the new event will build on Malcolm Turnbull’s innovation strategy. “Business Week will have a hard-core commercial focus, business-to-business as opposed to government-to-government. It will be about unearthing new commercial opportunities, deepening business links, promoting innovation and opening new doors for investment, partnerships and collaborations,” Mr Robb said.

The government wants to attract some of Australia’s corporate heavyweights to the event to be part of a delegation of more than 200 businesspeople that will go to the resources and energy hub of Houston, tourism centres in California, as well as Boston, New York and Silicon Valley to focus on digital technology, agribusiness and medical technology.