British Undersecretary of State for International Trade Graham Stuart yesterday set an optimistic tone for the possibility of a trade agreement between Taiwan and the UK after Brexit, touting the productive environment created by bilateral trade talks.
Stuart made the remarks at a news conference in Taoyuan at the vertical vegetable farming company YesHealth iFarm (源鮮智慧農場), which is to invest £18 million (US$25.5 million) to establish its first European base with a vertical farming factory in York, England.
“This is only the latest announcement in a pattern of mutual trade and investment that has flourished between our economies in recent years,” Stuart said, adding that the firm’s 14-story vertical farm is Asia’s largest indoor plant producer and is at the cutting edge of an industry that, while still in its early stages, has truly global implications.
Photo: Lu Yi-hsuan, Taipei Times
He also announced that frozen food manufacturer Han Dian Frozen Prepared Food Co (漢典食品) would invest £3.5 million to expand its UK manufacturing operation, following an initial investment in London in September last year.
Asked about the possibility of a trade deal between Taipei and London, Stuart said that the British government has had excellent trade talks with Taiwan and that they have been very productive since they were established.
“As we leave the EU, the first step is to roll over existing agreements, which countries around the world have so far indicated that they are happy to do,” Stuart said, adding that the UK’s next step would be looking to work closely with its allies around the world.
“For now, the trade talks between Taiwan and the UK provide a very productive environment to develop further links between the two countries,” he said, without elaborating.
The two nations, which saw two-way trade of £5.4 billion in 2016, concluded their 20th round of trade talks in London in December last year, where they reached a consensus to set up a dialogue platform this year to discuss agriculture and energy cooperation.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said in a meeting with Stuart at the Presidential Office on Monday that the two nations have been given a chance to upgrade the overall bilateral relationship, as the UK is preparing to form new trade relationships with important trading partners in the post-Brexit era.
In addition to agriculture and “green” energy, there are other key areas where Taiwan and the UK have mutual interests and cooperation, including biotech, artificial intelligence, infrastructure and railways, Stuart said.
“England was the first country in the world to develop civil nuclear power. We have tremendous experience in dealing with the end of life of nuclear plants. So there is a huge opportunity for British firms to support Taiwan in ... dealing with its nuclear legacies and developing ‘green’ renewables,” Stuart said.
Beijing’s continued provocations in the Taiwan Strait reveal its intention to unilaterally change the “status quo” in the area, the US Department of State said on Saturday, calling for a peaceful resolution to cross-strait issues. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) reported that four China Coast Guard patrol vessels entered restricted and prohibited waters near Kinmen County on Friday and again on Saturday. A State Department spokesperson said that Washington was aware of the incidents, and urged all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from unilaterally changing the “status quo.” “Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is in line with our [the
EXTENDED RANGE: Hsiung Sheng missiles, 100 of which might be deployed by the end of the year, could reach Chinese command posts and airport runways, a source said A NT$16.9 billion (US$534.93 million) project to upgrade the military’s missile defense systems would be completed this year, allowing the deployment of at least 100 long-range Hsiung Sheng missiles and providing more deterrence against China, military sources said on Saturday. Hsiung Sheng missiles are an extended-range version of the Hsiung Feng IIE (HF-2E) surface-to-surface cruise missile, and are believed to have a range of up to 1,200km, which would allow them to hit targets well inside China. They went into mass production in 2022, the sources said. The project is part of a special budget for the Ministry of National Defense aimed at
READY TO WORK: Taiwan is eager to cooperate and is hopeful that like-minded states will continue to advocate for its inclusion in regional organizations, Lai said Maintaining the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region must be a top priority, president-elect William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after meeting with a delegation of US academics. Leaders of the G7, US President Joe Biden and other international heads of state have voiced concerns about the situation in the Strait, as stability in the region is necessary for a safe, peaceful and prosperous world, Lai said. The vice president, who is to be inaugurated in May, welcomed the delegation and thanked them for their support for Taiwan and issues concerning the Strait. The international community
COOPERATION: Two crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank off Kinmen were rescued, two were found dead and another two were still missing at press time The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) was yesterday working with Chinese rescuers to find two missing crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank southwest of Kinmen County yesterday, killing two crew. The joint operation managed to rescue two of the boat’s six crewmembers, but two were already dead when they were pulled from the water, the agency said in a statement. Rescuers are still searching for two others from the Min Long Yu 61222, a boat registered in China’s Fujian Province that capsized and sank 1.03 nautical miles (1.9km) southwest of Dongding Island (東碇), it added. CGA Director-General Chou Mei-wu (周美伍) told a