<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Mauritius, S'pore can help each other: PM Lee
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Mauritius Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam and Mr Lee at the Istana. -- ST PHOTO: AZIZ HUSSIN
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->THE potential for Mauritius and Singapore to help each other's business community to expand in the other's region was highlighted by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday.
Mr Lee also drew many similar characteristics between the two island-nations at an Istana dinner he hosted for Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam and his wife, who are here on an official visit.
With a multi-ethnic population living on a small island, Mauritius, like Singapore, depends on global free trade for growing its economy, the PM said, noting that it has moved from a commodity-based to a more service-oriented one.
But it is the setting up of Tianli Integrated Industrial Park, a Chinese project, that Mr Lee sees as providing the potential for business tie-ups and expansion. The park will help Mauritius become a gateway for investors into sub-Saharan Africa, he said.
With Singapore positioning itself as a gateway to East Asia, the two countries can act as springboards to each other's regions.
'In this way, business communities in Singapore and Mauritius can tap on each other's expertise and form partnerships to enter growing markets in Asia and Africa,' he said.
During his two-day visit, Mr Ramgoolam will also call on President S R Nathan. His visit ends today but he will stay on in Singapore to attend the Global Indian Diaspora Conference tomorrow and on Saturday.
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Mauritius Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam and Mr Lee at the Istana. -- ST PHOTO: AZIZ HUSSIN
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->THE potential for Mauritius and Singapore to help each other's business community to expand in the other's region was highlighted by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday.
Mr Lee also drew many similar characteristics between the two island-nations at an Istana dinner he hosted for Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam and his wife, who are here on an official visit.
With a multi-ethnic population living on a small island, Mauritius, like Singapore, depends on global free trade for growing its economy, the PM said, noting that it has moved from a commodity-based to a more service-oriented one.
But it is the setting up of Tianli Integrated Industrial Park, a Chinese project, that Mr Lee sees as providing the potential for business tie-ups and expansion. The park will help Mauritius become a gateway for investors into sub-Saharan Africa, he said.
With Singapore positioning itself as a gateway to East Asia, the two countries can act as springboards to each other's regions.
'In this way, business communities in Singapore and Mauritius can tap on each other's expertise and form partnerships to enter growing markets in Asia and Africa,' he said.
During his two-day visit, Mr Ramgoolam will also call on President S R Nathan. His visit ends today but he will stay on in Singapore to attend the Global Indian Diaspora Conference tomorrow and on Saturday.
