United States Ambassador to Australia Jeffrey Bleich has hailed Western Australia's "extraordinary" growth and development, announcing the opening of a commercial services office at the US consulate general in Perth.
Mr Bleich said WA's business community will be able to connect with thousands of companies in the United States through the new office, which he described as "a statement of absolute commitment" to Western Australia.
"Even as we’re expanding everywhere in the world, there is nowhere that we’re betting more heavily than here in Western Australia," Mr Bleich told reporters.
"This office reflects that we’re not simply here for the boom period but that we recognise that this is a long-term event, that there is great promise for long-term prosperity here in Western Australia and we’re committed to a long-term relationship out here."
The new office will also assist companies in the United States to export to Australia and establish links with local businesses.
Mr Bleich said the service would be particularly beneficial for small businesses as it would enable them to access new technologies and innovations.
"When you’re looking for efficiencies in a global market, you want to find companies that have new technologies, new ways of doing business, ways to build your global supply chain to be more reliable," he said.
"One of the things that the commercial service does is connect you to businesses that meet those needs in the United States. It also tends to expand investment, because once people come out and see the opportunities they attempt to bring venture capital and private equity or some other funding source that expands our already enormous investment in this region.
"The bilateral investment between the US and Australia is about 30 times that of China and Australia, so it gives you some sense of the scale of the investment that we’re already doing here and we’re going to continue to build on."
Mr Bleich hailed the establishment of US companies such as Chevron, Apache, ExxonMobil and General Electric in Perth in recent years as indicating a shift in the centre of economic gravity towards WA.
Mr Bleich will discuss American and Australian economic ties at a Business News Success & Leadership breakfast at the Hyatt Regency this Friday.