The top British representative in Taiwan said yesterday he was pleased with the progress in bilateral relations during his term in Taiwan and expressed confidence that the two countries would forge even closer links.
Michael Reilly, director of the Taipei-based British Trade and Cultural Office (BTCO), was speaking at a press conference held before he concludes his term in Taiwan. He credited the BTCO staff, whom he described as “very loyal, devoted and hard-working,” with providing help and support that contributed to these achievements.
“I leave Taiwan very pleased with the growth in bilateral links between the UK and Taiwan,” Reilly said, referring to Taiwan’s establishment last year of a UK parliamentary friendship group — the second-largest of its kind.
He said that bilateral contacts had increased, with reciprocal ministerial visits rising over the past few years, adding that he expected this trend to continue.
Reilly said that the UK welcomed Taiwan’s public commitment to cutting its carbon emissions levels, its accession to the WTO’s Government Procurement Agreement and President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) efforts to reduce tensions across the Taiwan Strait.
However, much more remains to be done, Reilly said, urging the Legislative Yuan to facilitate the passage of bills aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and abolishing the death penalty to demonstrate that Taiwan is a liberal democracy.
As for his successor, who will take over on Feb. 3, Reilly said David Campbell was no stranger to Asia, as he had previous postings in Manila and Singapore.
“I think he is an excellent choice for Taipei. I’m very confident that he will carry on with the work that we have been doing in my time here,” Reilly said.
Describing his service in Taiwan as his most enjoyable ever, Reilly said he would leave this “fascinating country” with good memories and will miss it a lot.
Reilly, who took up his post as BTCO director in December 2005, will officially conclude his term in Taiwan today. He will join a program of the British foreign office to work in the private sector on his return to the UK.
The BTCO functions as the defacto British embassy in Taiwan in the absence of diplomatic relations between Taiwan and the UK.
MULTIFACETED: A task force has analyzed possible scenarios and created responses to assist domestic industries in dealing with US tariffs, the economics minister said The Executive Yuan is tomorrow to announce countermeasures to US President Donald Trump’s planned reciprocal tariffs, although the details of the plan would not be made public until Monday next week, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) said yesterday. The Cabinet established an economic and trade task force in November last year to deal with US trade and tariff related issues, Kuo told reporters outside the legislature in Taipei. The task force has been analyzing and evaluating all kinds of scenarios to identify suitable responses and determine how best to assist domestic industries in managing the effects of Trump’s tariffs, he
TIGHT-LIPPED: UMC said it had no merger plans at the moment, after Nikkei Asia reported that the firm and GlobalFoundries were considering restarting merger talks United Microelectronics Corp (UMC, 聯電), the world’s No. 4 contract chipmaker, yesterday launched a new US$5 billion 12-inch chip factory in Singapore as part of its latest effort to diversify its manufacturing footprint amid growing geopolitical risks. The new factory, adjacent to UMC’s existing Singapore fab in the Pasir Res Wafer Fab Park, is scheduled to enter volume production next year, utilizing mature 22-nanometer and 28-nanometer process technologies, UMC said in a statement. The company plans to invest US$5 billion during the first phase of the new fab, which would have an installed capacity of 30,000 12-inch wafers per month, it said. The
Taiwan’s official purchasing managers’ index (PMI) last month rose 0.2 percentage points to 54.2, in a second consecutive month of expansion, thanks to front-loading demand intended to avoid potential US tariff hikes, the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER, 中華經濟研究院) said yesterday. While short-term demand appeared robust, uncertainties rose due to US President Donald Trump’s unpredictable trade policy, CIER president Lien Hsien-ming (連賢明) told a news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s economy this year would be characterized by high-level fluctuations and the volatility would be wilder than most expect, Lien said Demand for electronics, particularly semiconductors, continues to benefit from US technology giants’ effort
‘SWASTICAR’: Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s close association with Donald Trump has prompted opponents to brand him a ‘Nazi’ and resulted in a dramatic drop in sales Demonstrators descended on Tesla Inc dealerships across the US, and in Europe and Canada on Saturday to protest company chief Elon Musk, who has amassed extraordinary power as a top adviser to US President Donald Trump. Waving signs with messages such as “Musk is stealing our money” and “Reclaim our country,” the protests largely took place peacefully following fiery episodes of vandalism on Tesla vehicles, dealerships and other facilities in recent weeks that US officials have denounced as terrorism. Hundreds rallied on Saturday outside the Tesla dealership in Manhattan. Some blasted Musk, the world’s richest man, while others demanded the shuttering of his
RSS