Financial Times

Foreign investors "your" best salesmen- Singapore envoy
Singapore uses a unique tactic to promote foreign investment - asking successful foreign businessmen based on the tiny island state to "advertise" the country.

"Foreign investors are our best assets. They are our star salesmen. What better person to talk about Singapore than a foreign investor? No one would believe me if I talk or boasted about my country," noted Tan Kah Hoe, Singapore's High Commissioner for Sri Lanka last week.

In an interview in Colombo, Tan tactfully sidestepped questions on the controversy between wheat importer Prima and the Sri Lankan government, saying it was important to discuss positive issues and ways of encouraging foreign investment …than negative developments.

"Prima has a long relationship in this country and the company came here (1978) at a time when no other foreign investors were prepared to come. That's a commendable thing. One should learn to appreciate investors who have faith in countries like Sri Lanka," he said.

Tan said Singapore values its foreign investors and reward them, offering them honorary positions on boards of development agencies. "We use them as icons," he said describing how some top Tata's executives have promoted Singapore to US businessmen.

India's giant Tata group has many projects in Singapore. Tan is among an unusual group of 20 Singapore businessmen who serve their country as ambassadors - all however based in Singapore. An architect and planner with his own firm, Tan has been his country's high commissioner for Sri Lanka for the past eight years working from his Beach Road office in Singapore with occasional visits to Colombo, like the current one to celebrate Singapore National Day.

"We are not career diplomats and don't receive a salary. We work out of our own offices, not from the Foreign Ministry," he said explaining an unusual form of diplomacy. His aide, Sheila, said the concept was based mainly due to manpower constraints. It is a model also followed by Mauritius, whose ambassador for Singapore is based in Mauritius. Singapore has only 13 overseas missions including one in India.

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