On 9 October, the Taipei Representative Office in the UK (TRO) hosted a reception for the 106th National Day of the Republic of China (Taiwan) at the Corinthia Hotel London. Attended by more than 500 people, the event welcomed figures from across the London diplomatic corps as well as parliamentarians, academics, businesspeople and members of the overseas Taiwanese community.
In his address, Representative Lin highlighted President Tsai Ing-wen’s efforts in promoting domestic reforms as well as her commitments to advancing Taiwan’s economic transformation and expanding cooperation with countries across the world. Affirming Taiwan’s aims to consolidate ties with diplomatic allies and likeminded countries, he also set forth the successes of the New Southbound Policy and detailed the government’s plans to pursue greater participation in international organisations.
As a testament to the steady pace of development in Taiwan-UK relations, Representative Lin cited multiple parliamentary delegations from the UK to Taiwan and strong bilateral trade statistics. He hailed the marked increase in Taiwanese students and tourists coming to the UK and pointed out the increasing collaboration on smart cities, renewable energy and railway industries, as well as China Airlines’ resumption of non-stop direct flights between Taipei and London in December.
The Representative’s address was followed by two guest speakers from the British-Taiwanese All-Party Parliamentary Group, Lord Steel of Aikwood (Co-chair) and Andrew Rosindell MP (Vice-chair), as well as the High Commissioner for St Vincent & The Grenadines H.E. Cenio E. Lewis. The event also featured exhibitions promoting Taiwan’s traditional foods and tea culture, as well as Taiwanese businesses such as China Airlines and QNAP Systems Inc.
