TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — U.K. Minister for Trade Policy Greg Hands praised the close business ties between Taiwan and the U.K. during a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Wednesday (Nov. 9).
Hands said this year marks the 25th iteration of the U.K.-Taiwan Trade Talks, of which four were chaired by him. This is an important milestone in the cooperation between the two countries, and it symbolizes the maturity of the partnership, per a Presidential Office press release.
He pointed out that trade volume between Taiwan and the U.K. increased by nearly 25% last year.
The minister said he was pleased to see that Taiwan announced plans to commit to a net-zero emissions future earlier this year. The U.K. is very supportive of Taiwan's efforts in areas such as offshore wind power, he said.
Hands mentioned his visit to an offshore wind farm in Taichung on Tuesday, adding that the U.K. has the largest amount of offshore wind power in Europe. The minister also said he looked forward to more discussions so that the two countries can work more closely in various fields to jointly respond to future challenges.
Tsai said that over the past few years, Taiwan and the U.K. have deepened their cooperation in the fields of science and technology, energy, economy and trade, and smart cities, according to the release. Taiwan has an advantage in semiconductor manufacturing and is willing to assist the world in the restructuring of the semiconductor supply chain, she said.
The president said Taiwan also looks forward to cooperating with the U.K. and other democratic allies in technology, mutual investment, financial support, and building a more resilient global supply chain. She said this year's talks will lead to more exchanges between Taipei and London on various economic and trade issues.
The president thanked Hands for continuing to promote relations between Taiwan and the U.K. and for his strong support of Taiwan. She said the government attaches great importance to the U.K.'s proposed enhanced trade partnership with Taiwan and expressed hope that both sides will deepen trade and mutual investment under this deal.