From 15-21 September, a delegation of UK parliamentarians visited Taiwan in an effort to strengthen bilateral cooperation on various fields. The 6 member delegation was composed of House of Lords Deputy Speaker Lord Rogan and his British-Taiwanese All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) Co-Chair Nigel Evans MP, Baroness Redfern, Lord Rennard and Lady Rennard as well as Baroness Scott of Bybrook.
On 19 September, President Tsai met with the delegation at the Presidential Office in Taipei. During the meeting, the president stressed the many reciprocal visits by high-level Taiwan and UK officials over the past few years, as well as the regular dialogue mechanisms between the two countries, including the annual vice-ministerial level Trade Talks, the Taiwan-UK Renewable Energy Roundtable, a railroad industry forum and the Taiwan-UK Smart City Forum. Emphasising that the two sides can forge even closer trade and investment ties by signing a free trade agreement or bilateral investment agreement, President Tsai also pointed out that Taiwan and the UK are devoted to protecting democratic values and are indispensable partners in the international community. “As we face severe oppression by China, Taiwan has never forsaken participation in international affairs,” she said, adding that Taiwan “will never waver in our commitment to cooperating with the UK, and other like-minded countries, to contribute to the international community.” The president concluded by thanking the APPG for its long-term support for Taiwan’s international participation and expressing hope that Taiwan and the UK can work together to identify more opportunities for bilateral cooperation.
