President Tsai Ing-wen said March 20 that Taiwan is committed to expanding cooperation and exchanges with the U.K. to safeguard regional peace and advance areas of mutual interest across the board.
Tsai made the remarks while receiving a delegation from the U.K.’s House of Commons at the Presidential Office in Taipei City. Headed by Bob Stewart, chair of the British-Taiwanese All-Party Parliamentary Group, the delegation includes MPs Rob Butler, Sarah Atherton, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, Afzal Khan and Marie Rimmer.
According to Tsai, the British Parliament’s support for Taiwan has continued to grow in recent years. This is evidenced by numerous calls by MPs to enhance Taiwan-U.K. relations during a debate last February, as well as the visit by a delegation from its Foreign Affairs Committee last November, she added.
Tsai also took the opportunity to thank the U.K. for frequently emphasizing the importance of maintaining cross-strait peace and stability at bilateral and multilateral events like Group of Seven meetings in recent years.
The U.K. is a key partner in developing Taiwan’s offshore wind power industry, with over 30 British companies establishing related operations and offices in the country, Tsai said. The president added that she anticipates the two sides will complement each other equally well in areas spanning biotech, cybersecurity, health care and supply chain resiliency.
The president expressed her best wishes for the U.K.’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and called on the like-minded partner to support Taiwan’s bid.
In response, Stewart described Taiwan as a beacon of democracy and praised the country’s 10th-place ranking in the Democracy Index 2022 recently released by London-based Economist Intelligence Unit. He said he is delighted to see two-way economic ties and people-to-people exchanges thriving, adding that he also hopes more British students will come to study in Taiwan. (YCH-E)
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