BTCO Strives to Provide the Best

The British Trade and Cultural Office (BTCO) was established in 1993 with the aim of promoting Britain's commercial and cultural interests in Taiwan. Mr. Derek Marsh CVO has been appointed to take the post as the Director General of the BTCO since July 2002. Before he came to Taiwan, he had been the Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Seoul for more than four years. Mr. Marsh said his experience in Seoul helped him to get used to embassy work, and the work here is quite similar to that in Seoul. Therefore, he had no problem fitting himself for the new post in Taiwan.

The BTCO is committed to boosting British exports to Taiwan and improving the environment for bilateral trade between Taiwan and the UK. "The BTCO provides practical assistance to British companies interested in developing business opportunities in the Taiwan market and also helps Taiwanese companies to invest in Britain," Mr. Marsh said.

When talking about the priority mission of the BTCO, Mr. Marsh indicated that the office here is in charge of commercial, cultural and educational affairs between the two sides. Therefore, the BTCO's priority is to provide practical assistance to British companies interested in developing business opportunities in the Taiwan market and to help Taiwanese companies that are interested in investing in the UK. Two major ongoing projects for the BTCO are to help the British companies to launch business and contract with China Airlines and Taipower in Taiwan. The BTCO's team of trained and experienced commercial staff will work continuously to improve market conditions and business opportunities for UK firms. Mr. Marsh added that the BTCO offers a free and confidential service covering all aspects of locating in the UK. Practical advice and assistance is offered on location of premises, setting up and registering a company, recruitment, etc. Visit programs to sites in the UK can also be arranged.

There are already over 170 Taiwanese firms with an active presence in the UK. Twenty-seven of these have their European manufacturing bases in Britain (accounting for 70% of Taiwanese manufacturing investment in Europe). Nine of Taiwan's financial institutions are represented in the UK, including the Central Bank of China, which has its European base in London. After same time, the number of British companies in Taiwan has been increasing. A lot of British companies have come to Taiwan to do business, such as B&Q, Boots, Body Shop, Lush, TopShop, HSBC .

The BTCO also has contributed a lot to the educational and cultural exchanges between Taiwan and Britain. "Every year we want to do more on this aspect. More and more Taiwanese students go to the UK to study. So, twice a year, many British institutions and colleges set up their own booths at a fair in Taiwan for students and their parents to come and learn more about the education in the UK," Mr. Marsh said. Even though only at the BTCO for less than a year, Mr. Marsh showed his ambitiousness and positiveness about the office's future goals. "To do more what we are doing and to do it the best," he said with a confident smile.