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British attend conference despite outbreak

Despite concerns over severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the war in Iraq, a group of British businesspeople was in town yesterday, looking to exploit mutual business opportunities.

"I too had some concerns a couple of weeks ago that due to the war or SARS we might have a much reduced turn-out, but I'm delighted at this demonstration of the British commitment to Taiwan that we are here, and here in great numbers," said Martin Barrow, UK co-chair of the Taiwan Britain Business Council (TBBC).

Only two of 48 registered UK delegates pulled out of the event due to SARS, British Trade and Cultural Office (BTCO) spokesperson Maggie Yeh (葉美慧) said yesterday.

Co-organized by Taiwan's Board of Foreign Trade and the UK's Department of Trade and Industry, the fifth annual TBBC hosted 160 delegates with the aim of building on the successes of previous events. Last year's event in London bore fruit including environmental, retail and safety partnerships.

A contract worth ?500,000 (NT$27.1 million) to investigate contaminated land in Taiwan was won by the UK's Environmental Resources Management and their Taiwan partner Global-Entech Co (衛宇環保).

Furniture retailer MFI International Taiwan Co entered into a joint-venture with Mercuries & Associates Ltd (三商行) and now has 14 stores nationwide. Mott MacDonald won a six-year deal worth ?22 million (NT$1.2 billion) to provide consultation on quality and safety management for Kaohsiung's new underground railway system.

Last year, bilateral trade between Taiwan and the UK topped US$4.26 billion, including US$2.91 billion in exports from Taiwan and US$1.35 billion in imports from the UK, Administrative Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Yiin Chii-min (尹啟銘) said at yesterday's event. To date, 286 UK firms have invested US$2.2 billion in Taiwan, and 126 Taiwan firms have gone the other way, putting US$440 million into the British economy, Yiin said.

"The potential for further bilateral co-operation is great," Yiin said.

Taiwan's economic and technological advances in recent years won the praise of British officials.

A model economy

"The advances of science and technology here have turned Taiwan into a model post-industrial economy for the world," said Peter Kent, chairman of the consulting firm Taiwan Advisers Group, who received a citation yesterday from the vice minister for his work "promoting economic and trade relations between Taiwan and the UK."

Taiwan has seen much of its manufacturing base shift to low-wage China in recent years, but has remained the world's 15th largest economy.

Kent's views were echoed by Derek Marsh, director general of the British trade office, who delivered a speech on behalf of the UK's minister for small business, Nigel Griffiths, who is also a key member of the trade promotion, investment and policy committee.

"Labor-intensive manufacturing will continue to shift to lower wage countries," Griffiths said in a statement. "But high-tech manufacturing using the best tools and technology is best done in the UK and other leading industrial countries like Taiwan, Germany and Japan."

Griffiths was originally slated to attend yesterday's event, but told delegates in a video-mail that he had to return to the UK for a budget meeting.

"Ever since the industrial revolution, manufacturing has been about new ideas, new science and new technologies applied to creating new products and processes," Griffiths said. "That is what is happening in both Taiwan and the UK today."

The Taiwan government has pledged US$49.4 billion as part of its Challenge 2008 national development plan and hopes to generate another US$26.3 billion from the private sector. Key areas of growth are expected to be biotechnology, nanotechnology, high-end tech products such as computer flat screens and high-powered computer chips.
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