FIRST minister Carwyn Jones is travelling across the Pacific in an effort to boost relationships between Wales and USA.

Mr Jones is travelling to America today, Tuesday, to meet political representatives in Washington DC and New York in a bid to strengthen relationships ahead of the UK’s impending exit of the European Union.

He will also host a St David’s Day reception at Capital Hill for key political figures and investors as well as another reception in New York aimed at promoting Wales’ tourism industry.

Speaking ahead of the visit Mr Jones said: “For Wales, the special relationship is about building on the strong cultural and trade links that already exist between our two countries.

“Wales has long been a destination of choice for many American businesses and we want to welcome even more in the future.”

He added he would be focusing on removing trade barriers between the two countries, as well as bringing more Wales resources to North America and setting up a permanent presence in Canada.

“That is a priority for me over the next 12 months as we restructure our activities overseas to take advantage of new economic opportunities,” he said.

More than 250 American-owned companies are based in Wales, and investment from the USA accounted for 40 per cent of cash coming into the country last year.

A meeting with president Donald Trump is not believed to be on Mr Jones’ agenda.