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.
NO-LIMITS PARTNERSHIP: ‘The bottom line’ is that if the US were to have a conflict with China or Russia it would likely open up a second front with the other, a US senator said Beijing and Moscow could cooperate in a conflict over Taiwan, the top US intelligence chief told the US Senate this week. “We see China and Russia, for the first time, exercising together in relation to Taiwan and recognizing that this is a place where China definitely wants Russia to be working with them, and we see no reason why they wouldn’t,” US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a US Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing on Thursday. US Senator Mike Rounds asked Haines about such a potential scenario. He also asked US Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kruse
INSPIRING: Taiwan has been a model in the Asia-Pacific region with its democratic transition, free and fair elections and open society, the vice president-elect said Taiwan can play a leadership role in the Asia-Pacific region, vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) told a forum in Taipei yesterday, highlighting the nation’s resilience in the face of geopolitical challenges. “Not only can Taiwan help, but Taiwan can lead ... not only can Taiwan play a leadership role, but Taiwan’s leadership is important to the world,” Hsiao told the annual forum hosted by the Center for Asia-Pacific Resilience and Innovation think tank. Hsiao thanked Taiwan’s international friends for their long-term support, citing the example of US President Joe Biden last month signing into law a bill to provide aid to Taiwan,
China’s intrusive and territorial claims in the Indo-Pacific region are “illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive,” new US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo said on Friday, adding that he would continue working with allies and partners to keep the area free and open. Paparo made the remarks at a change-of-command ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, where he took over the command from Admiral John Aquilino. “Our world faces a complex problem set in the troubling actions of the People’s Republic of China [PRC] and its rapid buildup of forces. We must be ready to answer the PRC’s increasingly intrusive and
UNWAVERING: Paraguay remains steadfast in its support of Taiwan, but is facing growing pressure at home and abroad to switch recognition to Beijing, Pena said Paraguayan President Santiago Pena has pledged to continue enhancing cooperation with Taiwan, as he and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expressed opposition to any unilateral change to the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait using force, Japanese media reported on Saturday. Kishida yesterday completed a trip to France, Brazil and Paraguay, his first visit to South America since taking office in 2021. After the Japanese leader and Pena spoke for more than an hour on Friday, exchanging views on the situation in East Asia in the face of China’s increasing military pressure on Taiwan, they affirmed that “unilateral attempts to change the