Ma lauds advances in Taiwan-UK relations

2015-01-09

President Ma Ying-jeou said Jan. 7 that Taiwan-U.K. relations are going from strength to strength, pledging to promote cooperation across a broad spectrum of areas going forward.

“Enhanced interaction between Taiwan and the U.K. in recent years, as evidenced by regular bilateral meetings on green energy and railway transportation, reflects the efforts invested by both sides in boosting trade and people-to-people exchanges,” Ma said.

“We will continue working to take two-way ties to new heights, stepping up our partnership in the areas of culture and creative industries, international finance, Mandarin language education and the smart city initiative.”

Ma made the remarks during a reception for the British-Taiwanese All-Party Parliamentary Group at the Presidential Office in Taipei City. Led by Lord Steel (Liberal Democrat), the delegation includes Lord Davies (Labor), Baroness Howells (Labor) and Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat).

During the group’s weeklong visit, its members also met with Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Vanessa Shih and U.K. representative to Taiwan Christopher Terence Wood.

“Exchanges between the peoples of Taiwan and the U.K. are on the rise,” Ma said, citing recent visits to Taiwan by House of Lords Speaker Baroness D’Souza (nonaffiliated); Sir David King, the U.K.’s special envoy on climate change; and Fiona Woolf, lord mayor of London.

“The U.K. is also the first major economy in the Western Hemisphere to grant visa-waiver privileges to ROC nationals,” he said. “In addition to being the second leading destination for local students seeking education abroad, Britain offers Taiwan youth the opportunity to live and work in that country.

“Each year, 1,000 of our young people are allocated multientry visas and experience U.K. culture and society while gaining professional experience.”

According to the president, the U.K. is Taiwan’s third largest trading partner in Europe, with bilateral trade reaching $3.9 billion pounds (US$5.9 billion) in 2013.

“As of year-end 2014, Taiwan investment in Britain totaled $715 million pounds, or 20 percent of the country’s holdings in Europe,” he said. “And during the first quarter of 2014, half of Taiwan’s outgoing investment went to the U.K.”

Ma said that since he took office in May 2008, the government has prioritized trade liberalization and promoting economic relations with its major partners, including seeking accession to regional trade blocs like the Trans-Pacific Partnership and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

“At the same time, we hope to negotiate bilateral investment and economic cooperation agreements with the EU,” he said, adding that the strength of Taiwan-U.K. relations is set to play a central role in achieving this goal.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=226029&CtNode=413)