UK’s Taiwan representative office renamed

2015/05/29

The British Trade and Cultural Office was rebranded British Office May 27 as part of U.K. government efforts to better define the activities and functions of its representation in Taiwan.

No changes have been made to the role of the office, which includes providing services for U.K. citizens, promoting bilateral innovative and scientific collaboration, enhancing joint programs tackling climate change, spurring two-way trade and attracting inbound investment to Britain.

U.K. Representative to Taiwan Christopher Terence Wood said the new name better reflects the character and mission of the office. “People did not really understand what [BTCO] signified, and often did not recognize us as a government office. Some thought we were simply a British company.”

The rebranding was welcomed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which described it as a positive development for bilateral relations. “There is every reason to expect exchanges between Taiwan and Britain to go to the next level on the back of such a move,” the MOFA said.

According to a recent International Monetary Fund survey, U.K. exports to Taiwan totaled $1.29 billion pounds (US$1.98 billion) in 2014, making the country its 37th largest export destination, up two places from the year before.

The U.K. is Taiwan’s third largest trading partner in Europe, with local investment in Britain reaching $715 million pounds, or 20 percent of the nation’s holdings in Europe, as of year-end 2014.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=230888&ctNode=413)