William and Catherine visit new Rolls-Royce factory

SINGAPORE (AFP) - Prince William and his wife Catherine on Wednesday unveiled the first plane engine to be produced by Rolls-Royce at its new factory in Singapore, on the second day of their Asia-Pacific tour.

The British royal couple introduced the Trent 900 jet which powers the Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger plane, to a gathering of Rolls-Royce executives, corporate guests and employees waving British and Singaporean flags.

"Here is cutting-edge aerospace technology developed by one of the United Kingdom's great global companies," William said at the 154,000 square-metre complex which opened in February.

"It is no accident that Rolls-Royce has chosen to build this high-tech campus in Singapore. This country's welcoming business environment, highly skilled workforce and entrepreneurial energy have made it a magnet for many hundreds of British companies." He said British firms had invested a total of 25 billion pounds (S$49.4 billion) over the years in Singapore, a former colonial trading outpost that has become one of the world's wealthiest societies.