The UK is to further deepen and broaden its trade relationship with Taiwan, as it has long been an important trading partner to the world, visiting British trade envoy to Taiwan Richard Faulkner told President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday.
Taiwan has gained global recognition for its importance to global supply chains, most notably in the fields of semiconductors and technology, Faulkner said.
The value of bilateral trade between the UK and Taiwan has continued to grow even during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, which “reflects the continued importance of Taiwan as a trading partner to the UK and to the world,” he said.
Photo: CNA
The UK and Taiwan have agreed to further advance the trade relationship, he said, referring to the announcement last month that Taiwan and the UK would begin talks on an Enhanced Trade Partnership.
The two sides could seek closer cooperation on net zero carbon emmissions and energy transition, as well as science and technology based on their long-standing renewable energy partnerships, with more than 40 British companies in the offshore wind sector having operations in Taiwan, he said.
Thanks to the hard work of the Taipei Representative Office in the UK, “understanding of Taiwan and its position in the world is much greater now than it was five or 10 years ago,” he said.
He extended his congratulations to Tsai, whom he praised as “the guardian of parliamentary democracy and human rights in Taiwan,” saying the reputation of Taiwan in the British parliament has been greatly enhanced during her time in office.
Tsai welcomed Faulkner back to Taiwan after his previous visit five years ago and thanked him for his efforts to deepen ties between the UK and Taiwan.
Taiwan and the UK are both actively developing renewable energy capacity. With more than 250 offshore wind turbines installed along the coast, Taiwan is looking forward to increasing exchanges on energy issues with the UK, she said.
She congratulated the UK on signing the treaty to become a member of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership in July, and asked for its support for Taiwan’s bid to also join the bloc.
The UK’s Integrated Review Refresh published in March and a report released last month, which reviews its policy that allocates a high priority to the Indo-Pacific region, both underlined the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and are “of great significance to global peace and stability,” Tsai said.
Faulkner later yesterday met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) to exchange opinions on the situation in the Indo-Pacific region and bilateral cooperation in economy, trade, education, and science and technology, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
Faulkner said that he was happy to see the UK and Taiwan continue to deepen educational exchanges through the ministry’s Taiwan-Europe Connectivity Scholarships Program, the statement said.
British Council in Taiwan Director Ralph Rogers encouraged Taiwanese students to apply for the Turing Scheme and Chevening Scholarships to study or receive training in the UK, it said.
Faulkner is leading a delegation comprising 10 British renewable energy businesses to participate in the 18th UK-Taiwan Renewable Energy Conference on Friday last week and the UK-Taiwan Net Zero Academic Research Forum today, the British Office Taipei said.
EXPRESSING GRATITUDE: Without its Taiwanese partners which are ‘working around the clock,’ Nvidia could not meet AI demand, CEO Jensen Huang said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and US-based artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer Nvidia Corp have partnered with each other on silicon photonics development, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said. Speaking with reporters after he met with TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) in Taipei on Friday, Huang said his company was working with the world’s largest contract chipmaker on silicon photonics, but admitted it was unlikely for the cooperation to yield results any time soon, and both sides would need several years to achieve concrete outcomes. To have a stake in the silicon photonics supply chain, TSMC and
IDENTITY: Compared with other platforms, TikTok’s algorithm pushes a ‘disproportionately high ratio’ of pro-China content, a study has found Young Taiwanese are increasingly consuming Chinese content on TikTok, which is changing their views on identity and making them less resistant toward China, researchers and politicians were cited as saying by foreign media. Asked to suggest the best survival strategy for a small country facing a powerful neighbor, students at National Chia-Yi Girls’ Senior High School said “Taiwan must do everything to avoid provoking China into attacking it,” the Financial Times wrote on Friday. Young Taiwanese between the ages of 20 and 24 in the past were the group who most strongly espoused a Taiwanese identity, but that is no longer
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake and several aftershocks battered southern Taiwan early this morning, causing houses and roads to collapse and leaving dozens injured and 50 people isolated in their village. A total of 26 people were reported injured and sent to hospitals due to the earthquake as of late this morning, according to the latest Ministry of Health and Welfare figures. In Sising Village (西興) of Chiayi County's Dapu Township (大埔), the location of the quake's epicenter, severe damage was seen and roads entering the village were blocked, isolating about 50 villagers. Another eight people who were originally trapped inside buildings in Tainan
SHARED VALUES: The US, Taiwan and other allies hope to maintain the cross-strait ‘status quo’ to foster regional prosperity and growth, the former US vice president said Former US vice president Mike Pence yesterday vowed to continue to support US-Taiwan relations, and to defend the security and interests of both countries and the free world. At a meeting with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Pence said that the US and Taiwan enjoy strong and continued friendship based on the shared values of freedom, the rule of law and respect for human rights. Such foundations exceed limitations imposed by geography and culture, said Pence, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time. The US and Taiwan have shared interests, and Americans are increasingly concerned about China’s
RSS