Many of you will be familiar with BTCO's Commercial Section. Some of you may not be so familiar with the branding under which all export and investment-related activity from the UK to Taiwan takes place -- UK Trade and Investment. UK Trade and Investment is a unified body that was created to assist British business access opportunities in overseas markets. Here in Taiwan, there are 14 staff devoted solely to that purpose.
There are a number of ways in which BTCO can help bring together Taiwanese importers and British exporters and investors. We are proactive in a number of sectors and provide assistance on all other sectors. The key sectors which provide opportunities for British companies are agriculture, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, clothing and fashion, communications, creative and media, education and training, electronics and IT, environment, financial services, fire, police and security, food and drink, healthcare and medical, leisure and tourism and finally marine.
BTCO also provides a lot of help for local businesses here in Taiwan, such as Provide assistance with identifying potential business partners in the UK; Supply information on trade shows in the UK; Give ad-hoc assistance in sourcing UK products; Tell you about trade missions that are going to the UK; Tell you about trade missions that are coming to Taiwan; Provide information about working with British companies; Work in collaboration with local bodies to hold seminars on target sectors, etc.
Investing in the UK
UK Trade & Investment's Inward Investment Section's role is to attract, retain and add value to Taiwanese investment into the UK. A team of three staff work (with the UK Development Agencies) to assist potential and existing Taiwanese investors.
The Inward Investment Section 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 programmes to the UK can also be arranged.
There are already over 180 Taiwanese firms with an active presence in the UK. Twenty 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.
If you would like to find out more do access our website at www.btco.org.tw.
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
STATE OF THE NATION: The legislature should invite the president to deliver an address every year, the TPP said, adding that Lai should also have to answer legislators’ questions The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday proposed inviting president-elect William Lai (賴清德) to make a historic first state of the nation address at the legislature following his inauguration on May 20. Lai is expected to face many domestic and international challenges, and should clarify his intended policies with the public’s representatives, KMT caucus secretary-general Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) said when making the proposal at a meeting of the legislature’s Procedure Committee. The committee voted to add the item to the agenda for Friday, along with another similar proposal put forward by the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). The invitation is in line with Article 15-2