President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of July 29 with a delegation of British parliamentarians, during which he not only extended a cordial welcome to them on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, but also expressed hope for deeper interaction and cooperation between the two countries.
In remarks, the president stated that the British-Taiwanese All-Party Parliamentary Group is the most important ROC-friendly advocate in the United Kingdom, its members having spoken on behalf of the ROC on a number of key issues. In particular, the three co-chairs of the group—Member of Parliament Nigel Evans, Lord Steel of Aikwood, and Lord Faulkner of Worcester—frequently raise their voices in the UK Parliament on behalf of the ROC, thus making significant contributions to enhancing substantive bilateral relations. The president furthermore pointed out that this delegation is the largest from the British-Taiwanese All-Party Parliamentary Group ever to visit the ROC, reflecting the close bilateral friendship.
Turning to ROC-UK economic and trade relations, the president explained that in 2014 the United Kingdom was Taiwan's third largest trading partner and third largest export market in Europe, with bilateral trade valued at about US$6 billion. Meanwhile, Taiwan is the United Kingdom's seventh largest trading partner in the Asia Pacific. According to statistics tabulated by the Investment Commission under our Ministry of Economic Affairs, as of May of this year, total investments by the United Kingdom in Taiwan stood at about US$7.2 billion, while total investments by Taiwan in the UK (not including overseas territories) were about US$2.45 billion, including investments in air and sea logistics, information and communications, as well as optoelectronics products. In March of this year the United Kingdom overtook the Netherlands to become the largest destination for investment from Taiwan in Europe, he said. The president also pointed out the popularity of Scotch whiskey in Taiwan, which is the United Kingdom's second largest export market in the world for single-malt whiskey.
Commenting on non-government ties, President Ma noted that the United Kingdom began providing visa-free courtesies to ROC nationals in 2009, becoming the first major European or American nation to do so. Member nations of the Schengen Agreement and Canada subsequently followed the United Kingdom's lead by providing similar steps. Consequently, 142 nations and areas offer visa-free status or landing visas to ROC nationals today, an impressive rise compared with only 54 prior to his taking office in 2008. Meanwhile, Taiwan and the United Kingdom in September 2011 signed the Youth Mobility Scheme. In 2012, the first year the scheme was implemented, 7,000 young people from Taiwan applied for the 1,000 slots available, while last year 5,300 people filed applications. Also, joint efforts have led to an increase in the number of students from Taiwan studying in the United Kingdom, rising from 36 Taiwanese students 30 years ago to over 3,900 students attending school there today. The United Kingdom has become the fourth most popular destination for students here seeking to study overseas, behind only the United States, Australia, and Japan.
The president also mentioned that high-level exchanges between Taiwan and the UK are frequent. Dating back to 1992 when former Minister of State for Trade and Industry John Redwood came here, just about every year a minister of state from the United Kingdom has visited the ROC. Already this year former Minister without Portfolio Grant Shapps, former Minister of State for Transport Baroness Kramer, and Lord Steel of Aikwood have visited Taiwan. A number of ministers or deputy ministers from the ROC have also visited the United Kingdom this year, the president said, adding that the bilateral interaction continues to become even more frequent.
The president then noted that the United Kingdom changed the name of its representative office here on May 26 from the British Trade and Cultural Office to the British Office Taipei, indicating its willingness to further strengthen the bilateral relationship. These examples prove that bilateral cooperation has moved forward in a wide range of areas, and the president stated his desire to see continued enhancement of relations between the two countries in the future.
The delegation led by Member of Parliament Nigel Evans also included Members of the House of Commons David Amess, Andrew Gwynne, Stephen Hepburn, Ian Lucas, Mark Menzies, David Morris, Sheryll Murray, Ian Paisley, Mark Pritchard, Laurence Robertson, and Andrew Stephenson.