Annual trade talks between Taiwan and the UK opened in Taipei yesterday, with British Minister of State for Trade Policy and Economic Security Douglas Alexander leading the British delegation and both sides seeking to deepen bilateral ties.
During the two-day visit, Alexander is to meet with President William Lai (賴清德) and cochair the trade talks with Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Cynthia Kiang (江文若), the British Office Taipei said.
Alexander is to also tour the Taiwan Space Agency in Hsinchu, and engage with representatives from British and Taiwanese businesses — including ARM, a UK-based semiconductor firm headquartered in Cambridge, and Walsin Lihwa Corp (華新麗華), a Taiwanese company that has invested in the UK — the office said in a news release.
Photo courtesy of the British Office Taipei
In addition, Alexander is to witness the signing of three Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP) pillars between Representative to the UK Vincent Yao (姚金祥) and UK Representative to Taiwan Ruth Bradley-Jones. The pillars cover cooperation on investment, digital trade and energy.
Taiwan and the UK established the ETP framework in 2023 to focus on sectors with high growth potential. The UK identified some of these areas — such as renewable energy and digital trade — as key priorities in its first post-Brexit trade strategy, released on Thursday.
In a premeeting news release, Alexander said the ETP pillars “will help us boost trade in some of our growth-driving sectors, delivering economic growth and helping put more money in people’s pockets as part of the Plan for Change.”
Bilateral trade between the UK and Taiwan reached ￡9.3 billion (US$12.76 billion) last year, a 7.7 percent increase from the previous year, making Taiwan the UK’s 33rd-largest trade partner, according to the British government.
The UK was Taiwan’s 16th-largest export destination in 2023, accounting for about 0.84 percent of its total exports.
The annual trade talks, which have been held since 1991, along with the ETP, aim to further enhance trade, investment and economic cooperation between Taiwan and the UK.
Taiwan yesterday said it was looking forward to attending an upcoming memorial in Japan to mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, a day after the Japanese city said it had retracted its previous decision to not invite Taiwan to the event. The case has been dealt with by Taiwan’s representative office in Fukuoka and the Nagasaki City Government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The ministry would decide who to send to the Aug. 9 event once it receives the invitation, it added. The ministry made the remarks following a Japanese media report on Saturday that said Nagasaki Mayor
UNILATERAL: The move from China’s aviation authority comes despite a previous 2015 agreement that any changes to flight paths would be done by consensus The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday slammed Beijing for arbitrarily opening the M503 flight route’s W121 connecting path, saying that such unilateral conduct disrespected the consensus between both sides and could destabilize the Taiwan Strait and the wider region. The condemnation came after the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) earlier yesterday announced it “has activated the W121 connecting path of the M503 flight route,” meaning that west-to-east flights are now permitted along the path. The newly activated west-to-east route is intended to “alleviate the pressure caused by the increase of flights,” China’s state-run Xinhua news agency quoted China’s Taiwan Affairs Office
LANDMARK: Taiwan and Haiti are set to mark the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year, the president said, adding that the two would deepen bilateral ties President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday pledged continued support for Haiti, particularly in food aid and healthcare, as the Caribbean nation faces ongoing social and economic challenges. Speaking at a meeting with Haitian Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Victor Harvel Jean-Baptiste, Lai said Taiwan would step up bilateral cooperation to help improve Haiti’s social infrastructure. Taiwan would continue supporting Haiti through initiatives aimed at improving healthcare, food security and overall development, he said. Taiwan and Haiti are set to mark the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year, the president said, adding that the two nations would continue to support each other and deepen bilateral
STRONG WINDS: Without the Central Mountain Range as a shield, people should be ready for high-speed winds, CWA weather forecaster Liu Yu-chi said Danas was yesterday upgraded to a typhoon and could grow stronger as it moves closely along the nation’s west coastline, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Hsinchu and Chiayi cities, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Hsinchu, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Nantou, Chiayi, Penghu and Pingtung counties have canceled work and school today. Work and school in Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei City and Taoyuan, and Yilan, Taitung, Hualien, Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties would continue as usual, although offices and schools would be closed in Taoyuan’s Luju (蘆竹), Dayuan (大園), Guangyin (觀音) and Sinwu (新屋) districts. As of 5pm yesterday, the typhoon’s
RSS