The Investment Relations Office to promote the Colombo Port City Special Economic Zone (CPCSEZ) in Bangkok, Thailand, led by Dr Sarayut Lekplipol, the Regional Head of Investment Promotion (Asia-Pacific) for CHEC Port City Colombo (pvt) Ltd, recently hosted the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce Presidents Council Meeting, which includes 36 countries, in partnership with the Thai-Sri Lanka Chamber of Commerce. The event was held at Conrad Bangkok on the 25th of January 2023, and served as an excellent multilateral platform to showcase investment opportunities at Port City Colombo (PCC).
The Investment Relations Office promoting the CPCSEZ in Bangkok is presently working with BOI Thailand, the Thailand Board of Trade, and the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce in Thailand. Together, this group is creating awareness about PCC and inviting both Thai and foreign investors to consider investing in vertical developments and other ventures within PCC, along with positioning the SEZ as an ideal destination for regional offices and or headquarters, allowing businesses to leverage PCC’s position as a gateway to the South Asian region. There is also an effort to connect Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor, which is also an SEZ, to PCC, with the intention of creating stronger trade and logistics routes and ties between South and Southeast Asia.
Commenting on the initiative, Dr Lekplipol said, “It was a great moment and opportunity for us to showcase the incredible opportunities at PCC with trade and investment representatives from over 36 countries, while also being able to spread awareness amongst the Thai business and investment community. Sri Lanka and Thailand share strong historic ties, and PCC is a great opportunity for both countries to mutually benefit, strengthen relationships and promote further cooperation.”
At the recent event in Bangkok, the regional investment relations office unveiled its plans to organize an Investment Forum in Bangkok, to launch “INVEST SRI LANKA 2023-2024” in late June to promote PCC. This will be a special awareness and marketing campaign to draw investor attention to PCC, and will be targeted at listed companies in Thailand, private investors, REIT funds and selected foreign investors based in Thailand.
Port City Colombo is a world-class city development built as an international service-oriented Special Economic Zone (SEZ), financial district and business hub, strategically located in the heart of South Asia – Sri Lanka. With an expected overall investment of US$20Bn on completion, the project spans 269 ha of ocean reclamation, extending the current Colombo Business District (CBD).
Developed in collaboration with the Government of Sri Lanka and CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd under a Public-Private-Partnership framework, Port City Colombo’s Regulations consist of a modern legal framework and attractive regulations that ensure ease of doing business. The framework is internationally recognized and independently regulated by the Colombo Port City Economic Commission.
Port City Colombo will be transformed into a modern, green, smart city enabling the exceptional in business, lifestyle and community. The City is estimated to have 6.3Mn m2 of built-up space and an estimated population of 273,000. The project is open to primary investment by property developers and secondary investment from key service-oriented business sectors such as financial services, shipping & logistics, IT services, BPOs, regional trading HQs and hospitality.
