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.
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
China's military today said it began joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan to "serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence," calling President William Lai (賴清德) a "parasite." The exercises come after Lai called Beijing a "foreign hostile force" last month. More than 10 Chinese military ships approached close to Taiwan's 24 nautical mile (44.4km) contiguous zone this morning and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond, two senior Taiwanese officials said. Taiwan has not yet detected any live fire by the Chinese military so far, one of the officials said. The drills took place after US Secretary
THUGGISH BEHAVIOR: Encouraging people to report independence supporters is another intimidation tactic that threatens cross-strait peace, the state department said China setting up an online system for reporting “Taiwanese independence” advocates is an “irresponsible and reprehensible” act, a US government spokesperson said on Friday. “China’s call for private individuals to report on alleged ‘persecution or suppression’ by supposed ‘Taiwan independence henchmen and accomplices’ is irresponsible and reprehensible,” an unnamed US Department of State spokesperson told the Central News Agency in an e-mail. The move is part of Beijing’s “intimidation campaign” against Taiwan and its supporters, and is “threatening free speech around the world, destabilizing the Indo-Pacific region, and deliberately eroding the cross-strait status quo,” the spokesperson said. The Chinese Communist Party’s “threats