Ascendas Funds Management (S), the manager of Ascendas Real Estate Investment Trust, says it is actively exploring regional investment opportunities for A-REIT.

Currently, the manager says it is actively exploring investment opportunities in China and has set up a representative office in Shanghai, China to enhance the manager’s visibility in the various business space sub-segments and micro property markets.

The focus of investment will continue to be in the sub-segments of business and science park properties, logistics and distribution centres, warehouse retail properties as well as selected industrial facilities.

The move overseas is in line with the manager’s investment strategy of owning and operating a diversified portfolio in the business space and industrial property sector, in addition to seeking investment opportunities in Singapore, it will be expanding its investment scope to cover the Asia region.

Since the inception of A-REIT in November 2002, the property trust has grown to a portfolio of 92 properties totalling $4.8 billion as at 30 September 2010 from its initial portfolio of eight properties worth $636 million in November 2002.