UK, Taiwan ink 3 pacts to boost ties, cooperation

ISTANBUL

The UK and Taiwan on Monday signed three agreements to strengthen bilateral ties and cooperation in various areas such as investment, digital trade, and energy, Focus Taiwan reported.

The agreements named "Three Pillar Arrangements of the UK-Taiwan Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP)" were signed by Taiwan's UK representative Vincent Yao and his British counterpart Ruth Bradley-Jones in Taipei.

UK Trade Minister Douglas Alexander and Taiwan's top trade negotiator Yang Jen-ni also attended the signing ceremony at the Office of Trade Negotiations.

The pacts cover bilateral cooperation on investment, digital trade, and energy/net-zero.

"In clean energy, Taiwan is already a major market for UK companies, where we see significant growth potential. In investment, we are seeing increased interest from both sides to back strategically significant sectors such as technology and advanced manufacturing. And in digital trade, our pilot project is demonstrating its immense value to businesses," the UK trade minister said at the event.

Alexander is currently on a visit to Taiwan for trade talks.

The bilateral trade between Taipei and London was worth £9.3 billion ($12.7 billion) in 2024, according to official data from the UK.