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During a meeting with a visiting delegation of British parliamentarians on the morning of November 5, President Tsai Ing-wen remarked that substantive relations between Taiwan and the United Kingdom have flourished. She hopes that the two countries can further upgrade economic and trade ties, and form an outstanding partnership that connects European and Asian markets.
In remarks, President Tsai stated that this was the third delegation from the UK Parliament to visit Taiwan this year, and that she was delighted that parliamentary exchanges between Taiwan and the United Kingdom have continued to grow in recent years. In addition to parliamentary diplomacy, substantive relations between the two countries have also flourished. Bilateral dialogue mechanisms have been established in a number of areas, including the energy industry and smart cities. This year, we have also signed MOUs on cooperation in innovation, wind power generation, finance, and the technology industry.
As technology has advanced, the president mentioned, artificial intelligence and the Internet have come to be widely applied across industries and in all walks of life, and have even transformed the structure of global industrial chains. She firmly believes that through our mutually beneficial collaboration, we can create many more opportunities for the next generation.
Commenting on Taiwan-UK cooperation, President Tsai pointed out, bilateral economic and trade relations have grown increasingly close. The United Kingdom is Taiwan's top investment destination in Europe and second-largest source of European investment. Faced with intensifying competition in global trade, the president hopes that the two countries can discuss ways to further upgrade economic and trade ties, and form an outstanding partnership that connects European and Asian markets.
The president also stated that to address the challenges we are facing, Taiwan is continuously strengthening innovation capabilities and promoting trade diversification to maintain stable economic growth. For example, the New Southbound Policy we introduced two years ago has enabled us to establish mutually beneficial partnerships with many countries in the region.
As a responsible member of the international community, President Tsai emphasized, Taiwan remains committed to working with like-minded nations to create a sustainable future. She especially thanked Sir Graham Brady, Member of the House of Commons, and the British-Taiwanese All-Party Parliamentary Group for their longstanding support for Taiwan's international participation. The Group's recently-issued statement supporting Taiwan's meaningful participation in the General Assembly 2018 of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) is a good example.
The president closed her remarks by expressing hope that the visitors' trip will create more possibilities for mutually beneficial cooperation, advancing the development in Taiwan and the United Kingdom.
The delegation included Sir Graham Brady and Mrs. Brady, and other House of Commons Members Lyn Brown, Lord Gilbert of Panteg, and Baroness McGregor-Smith.
