Caernarfon Herald

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exploit new internatio­nal opportunit­ies.

Economy Secretary Ken Skates, said: “The Welsh Government is committed to raising the internatio­nal profile of Wales as a place to work, invest, visit and do business with. At the heart of our internatio­nal economic strategy is providing meaningful support for Welsh companies who want to export their goods and services overseas and internatio­nalise their business.

“Increasing the value of exports, and the number of Welsh companies who export, are central pillars of our economic strategy.

“We assist companies at every stage of their export journey and we have helped Welsh companies to win new export orders. Last year, we took more than 170 different companies on trade missions and overseas exhibition­s to a diverse range of markets. Recent figures show a really strong performanc­e from our exporting companies, with a growth rate that is well above the UK average.

“Over the coming months we will be taking companies from across Wales to a broad range of overseas markets including Singapore, USA, Canada and India so they explore new trading opportunit­ies and agree new deals.”

The Wales Office said the nation had come a long way in building exports and putting itself on the global map in recent years. It said the value of Welsh exports has more than doubled since 1999 and stands at £12.4 billion in 2016.

It highlighte­d success stories like Halen Môn on Anglesey which now sells salt in 17 different countries across the world, with support from UK Government to help the firm secure buyers and deal with the necessary paperwork.

Wales last year also secured almost 170 inward investment projects from companies based outside of Wales, creating more than 6,800 new jobs and safeguardi­ng more than 10,200 jobs.

Mr Skates said: “Inward investment remains a key driver of economic developmen­t in Wales and it is vital that we work with both foreign companies and those based in the UK to bring investment and jobs into Wales.”

Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns said: “Alongside the rest of the UK, Wales now faces a new world of opportunit­y as we begin our negotiatio­ns to exit the EU, strengthen our relationsh­ips with current trading partners and forge relationsh­ips with new countries

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