Welsh minister heads to US to strengthen trade and cultural links
Nation.Cymru staff
Wales’ culture and sport minister is to travel to the United States for the new Welsh Government’s first transatlantic visit.
Heledd Fychan will visit New York, Washington DC and Springfield, Massachusetts, between August 31 and September 4, with trade, investment and cultural links on the agenda.
The trip coincides with events marking the 250th anniversary of the United States and will include meetings with businesses, politicians and cultural organisations.
In New York, Ms Fychan will meet Welsh actor Matthew Rhys to discuss the Welsh arts and creative sector in the US and opportunities for Welsh talent to reach international audiences.
She will also meet representatives of the Gotham Center for New York City History at Fraunces Tavern.
The organisation has worked with Welsh creative technology company Sugar Creative on Echoes of Revolution, a digital project developed around the US’s 250th anniversary celebrations.
The Welsh Government said the project would be used during the visit to highlight Wales’ technology and creative industries.
The US is Wales’ largest export market and its biggest source of inward investment, according to the Welsh Government.
Ms Fychan will meet the UK’s Trade Commissioner to the United States and businesses and investors with an interest in Wales.
She will also host a reception in Manhattan bringing together Welsh and American businesses, cultural organisations and other partners.
In Washington, the minister is due to meet members of the Friends of Wales Caucus on Capitol Hill to discuss trade, investment and cultural links.
She will also visit the Library of Congress, where she will present what the Welsh Government has described as a “gift of music” on behalf of the people of Wales as part of the US anniversary celebrations.
Ms Fychan said: “The United States is one of Wales’s most important international partners, and this visit is an opportunity to build on that relationship and create new opportunities for people and businesses in Wales.
“Our culture is one of our greatest assets. It gives us a unique platform to build relationships, open conversations and create new economic opportunities.
“From music and our shared history to the world-class digital and creative talent working in Wales today, we have a compelling story to tell.”
She added: “We want American businesses to see Wales not just as a place with which they can trade, but as a place where they can invest, innovate and grow.”
9/11 Memorial
During the trip, Ms Fychan will lay a wreath at the 9/11 Memorial in New York ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
She will then travel to Springfield to attend the North American Festival of Wales, which runs from September 2 to 6.
The annual event brings together Welsh communities from across North America for a programme celebrating Welsh culture, music, language and heritage.
Ms Fychan is expected to meet members of the Welsh-American community during the festival as part of the government’s efforts to strengthen links between Wales and the US.
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I’d much prefer it if the Trump administration remained blissfully ignorant of our existence. Don’t encourage these pests, they’ll only try to Greenland us.
You will come back with fleas…
Excellent that Heledd will be attending the 25th anniversary of at the 9/11 Memorial in New York. A suitable replacement for the president of the United States who has shunned the event.
I expected better from Plaid. Trump doesn’t do deals, he abuses and rips you off. Just look at the Canada mess he created.
This should not have happened.
Not all Americans support Trump, and he won’t be President forever. Yes we should prioritise relations with Europe, particularly regarding security and defense, however there is a Welsh diaspora in the US that we could tap into just as the Irish and Scots have done with theirs.
The personal touch is essential when looking for money, weaponry and favour…
Ask Adam Price…
Enough support him so he remains in power. And he is now unhinged, but let’s remember he is now supporting Putin and Xi, he acts as an enemy to the traditional US allies.
Wait till the GOP are out of power. If it ever happens.
Little details like that don’t matter to Plaid apparently…
Money, Money, Money…Aber…?
Has she planned prayers with Hegseth and Liberty Vance by any chance…?
You don’t have to remind me how much of a danger Trump is to democracy and global stability, Jeff. But isolating the USA could actually make things worse and play into Trump’s hands. America is bigger than Trump. There are plenty of blue states that the Welsh Government could still work with, as well as strong Welsh-American communities, particularly around Philadelphia, that we could strengthen ties with. This matters to our economy. I don’t see why we should turn our backs on the millions of Americans who dispise Trump. If anything, now is a good time to strengthen those relationships… Read more »
Really, Trump its coming for the UK.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/17/trump-administration-to-grant-12m-to-groups-founded-by-uk-conservatives-jacob-rees-mogg-and-toby-young
Yet there he is. Every day. And if they happen to remove him then the system is there for the same. Until they fix that, the US is not a safe trading partner when trump, serial woman abuser and cheat, decides what the US does.
You’re treating the USA and Trump as if they’re interchangeable. The US Constitution gives individual states substantial powers of their own; Trump can’t simply dictate what Democratic-controlled states do.
Should other countries cut ties with Wales and Scotland if Nigel Farage became Prime Minister?Opposing Trump does not mean isolating ourselves from the whole of America.
Yes. If Nigel Farage became prime minister I would expect Germany, France, Canada, Norway… and practically everyone else to unilaterally cut ties with the UK on the very same day.
Why?
Because it means that the UK has lost the plot and should be regarded as a pariah state until it learns to behave and be nice to others. Nigel Farage offers a return to Year 1 school playground culture of naughty children who haven’t yet been taught how to respect others. That’s what Reform stands for, Regression.
But what if Wales and Scotland vote differently? Why should we be treated as pariahs? I’d hate to think of Germany, France, Canada etc abandoning us because of the actions of a government in London we did not vote for.
If anything, strengthening ties with the Celtic nations could provide a counterweight to a Reform government rather than legitimising it. The same logic applies to blue states in America. Why should they be isolated because of a president they did not vote for?
We can start showing America some attention after Trump and his motley crew have left power.
One of the silliest posts I’ve ever seen. The USA is not Trump. It is a huge market for our goods and services. It imports over £60bn of UK goods and services. Wales needs as much of that as possible. That is how you build an economy that in turn funds schools, the NHS etc.
NHS is on trumps hit list, it was in his first term, there was a meeting to see what they could carve up from the UK and NHS was up there, one of the things they do not like is generic meds like paracetamol. They want us using branded at markup cost. We are already 15billion in hock in the latest drugs deal. Falklands is looking to be a target next, we do this or trump will support Argentina etc. etc.
Really, divert business from the US. It is not a stable partner.
Think its 45 billion, not 15.
You’re saying Wales shouldn’t trade with the US, one of the world’s biggest markets. Hilarious. China too? You should become a WG economic advisor. Frighteningly, I suspect you are one already…
I’m already boycotting the USA and all of its products. Everyone should boycott the USA particularly anything that comes from Republican states. I’d rather trade with China.
So you would rather do business with a communist one-party state than a democratic one because their current President is a lunatic? Okay
Technology, how to kill and control, Adam Price follow-up…
I would prefer that our government concentrate on relations with countries where law and order still operate.
Law and order still operates in the USA. They have police, courts, lawyers, judges etc.
All working for Twmp…
To their credit judges in the US have frequently struck Trump diktats down. And there are many lawyers in the US working on behalf of groups challenging the Trump administration’s cruel policies.
You forgot ICE…
The Air Miles start here, just follow the Baroness’ example…
Hey, we got Buses, can I have Bridges next…
Mention the Baroness and you get buses !?
2m in the US claim Welsh ancestry. Many will be looking for new international investment opportunities now their homeland has become a rogue state.
They probably know where Wales is then…
They might be aware of several downsides to investing in Wales too…
That is a leap of faith…
The American Irish helped turn Ireland into the second richest country.
So What exactly, apples and pears mate..
Apples and Pears…
Are you alright? You seem to be having conversations with yourself.
And you are named after a Saint…
Matthew has a lovely old bootleggers boat in New York I believe, maybe he will spin her round the Statue of Liberty…
Did she fly direct from Caerdydd?
Why not head to Canada instead? Or Mexico or Paraguay… Brazil? Arguably all more amenable places.
Yes we should not trade with those countries as well, but the US is by far the world’s biggest economy and is a hugely important market for exports, investment and tourism.
Sorry I meant to say ‘we should’ and not ‘we should not’