President Ma Ying-jeou on the afternoon of September 19 at the Presidential Office met with Swire Group Executive Director and British House of Lords Peer Baroness Lydia Dunn. The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, extended a cordial welcome and appreciation to Baroness Dunn.
President Ma said that Baroness Dunn is extremely prominent in the Hong Kong political and business circles. In addition to serving as an outstanding leader during the period in which Hong Kong was under British administration, Baroness Dunn is well known in the British charitable community. The baroness is involved in a wide range of philanthropic activities, which has won her admiration from many, he said.
The president commented that the ROC and England last year registered bilateral trade of US$5.5 billion. Taiwan firms have invested US$500 million in England, while investment among British companies in Taiwan has hit US$4.7 billion. President Ma noted that the Swire Group’s investment in Taiwan stands at nearly US$500 million, which is equivalent to the total amount of investment in Britain by Taiwan firms. This demonstrates the sizeable amount of investment by Swire in Taiwan, he said.
President Ma said that the visit by Baroness Dunn is beneficial to fostering understanding and the relationship between Taiwan, England and Hong Kong. He said that amid the improvement of relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, ties between Taiwan, Mainland China and Hong Kong are developing in a positive manner. As a result, the president said he hopes this visit here by Baroness Dunn will help to broaden her understanding of Taiwan and will lead to increased investment in Taiwan by the Swire Group.
Baroness Dunn expressed her appreciation to President Ma for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with her. She said that the international community pays close attention to the state of Taiwan’s economic development and that Taiwan is a place for many international firms to invest. The baroness said she hopes investments made by the Swire Group in Taiwan will generate a win-win situation for both sides.