The Oxford City Council on Monday passed a motion to establish sister-city ties with a municipality in Taiwan, adding that such a move would be separate from the UK’s official recognition of China.
The motion was made by Oxford City Councilor Stephen Goddard and seconded by Oxford City Councilor Elizabeth Wade — members of the Liberal Democrats party — and passed after a proposal from Oxford City Councilor Mary Clarkson of the Labour Party to find a candidate from a grassroots-level municipality was added.
Oxford has twin city and town ties with several places in Europe, the Middle East and the Americas, but not in East Asia, the motion on the council’s Web site read.
Photo: Lu Yi-hsuan, Taipei Times
No UK town or city is twinned with any municipality in Taiwan, it added.
Taiwan is a “vibrant and competitive democratic system [that] has allowed three peaceful transfers of power between rival parties since 2000,” it said, citing a report by Freedom House.
The city council also cited Taiwan’s achievement in containing the COVID-19 epidemic despite its proximity to China, as well as its donation of masks to the UK and European countries.
Taiwan is the UK’s second-fastest-growing export market, while the UK government is undertaking free-trade talks with Taiwanese authorities, the motion said.
The motion resolves that the Oxford City Council ask the British Cabinet to explore the possibility of negotiating a twinning agreement “with an appropriate municipality on the island of Taiwan” and “ask the leader to write to the Taiwan Representative Office in the United Kingdom to formally request their assistance in arranging this.”
The proposed ties would be separate from the UK’s official recognition of the People’s Republic of China, and Oxford is grateful for the friendship of Chinese and their contributions to the city as visitors, students and residents, it said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday welcomed Oxford’s proposal, saying it would help local municipalities interested in the matter to connect with Oxford, spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said in a statement.
Britain is Taiwan’s third-largest trading partner in Europe and was the biggest destination of foreign investment to Europe last year, she said.
Oxford is renowned for its history, the University of Oxford and high-tech firms, Ou said, adding that the motion would advance city-to-city and people-to-people interactions.
Additional reporting by CNA
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