President Lai Ching-te said Aug. 5 that Taiwan is committed to deepening cooperation with the U.K. to advance mutually beneficial development and contribute more to the international community.
Lai made the remarks while meeting with former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the Presidential Office in Taipei City. He noted that Johnson is the third former U.K. prime minister to visit Taiwan, following Margaret Thatcher and Liz Truss.
The president thanked Johnson and the U.K. government for stressing the importance of cross-strait peace and stability in the Group of Seven leaders’ communique in 2021 under the U.K.’s presidency. The U.K. has since consistently underscored its firm position on maintaining the status quo across the Taiwan Strait, he added.
The like-minded partner has also taken steps to safeguard freedom of navigation in the strait, Lai said, citing the passage of the Royal Navy patrol vessel HMS Spey in June. The National Security Strategy 2025 released the same month also noted that the Taiwan Strait is central to global trade and supply chains, stating that the U.K. does not support any unilateral attempts to change the status quo and will continue to strengthen ties with Taiwan in a wide range of areas, the president added.
Lai concluded by praising growing bilateral economic and trade relations, adding that the two sides signed the Taiwan-U.K. Enhanced Trade Partnership arrangement in 2023 and further inked three pillar arrangements under the ETP covering digital trade, investment, and energy and net-zero emissions in June.
In response, Johnson said Taiwan is at the forefront of the struggle between democracy and autocracy, expressing his support for Lai’s policies, including the Five Trusted Industry Sectors Promotion Plan and the increase in defense spending to 3 percent of gross domestic product.
The former prime minister asserted that those who try to bully or take over Taiwan will never succeed. He urged all Western countries to build economic and political relations with Taiwan, reaffirming that the people of the U.K. will stand with Taiwan because of their shared values of freedom, democracy and respect for human rights. (YCH-E)
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