President Lai meets British delegation to presidential inauguration
On the afternoon of May 21, President Lai Ching-te met with the United Kingdom Trade Envoy to Taiwan and a delegation from the British-Taiwanese All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) to attend the inauguration of the 16th-term president and vice president. President Lai expressed hope that the UK will continue to support Taiwan’s bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), allowing us to work alongside even more like-minded partners to jointly build more resilient global supply chains in a fair and open economic and trade order.
A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows:
I would like to welcome you all on this trip to Taiwan to attend my and Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao’s inauguration. On behalf of the people of Taiwan, I want to thank the British-Taiwanese APPG for, immediately after our presidential election in January, releasing a statement praising Taiwan’s democracy.
I believe that your visit not only demonstrates the friendship between Taiwan and the UK but also reinforces the solid foundations for our future bilateral engagement. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Lord Rogan for actively consolidating support for Taiwan in the UK. I am also grateful to the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee and Defence Committee for underlining the importance of peace across the Taiwan Strait in their respective reports on the Indo-Pacific last year.
Also last year, through the efforts of Lord Faulkner, Taiwan and the UK signed the Enhanced Trade Partnership Arrangement, which will bring both of us even more successful collaboration in the areas of investment, digital trade, and renewable energy and net-zero emissions.
As the UK takes steps to complete its CPTPP accession process, I hope that you will continue to support Taiwan’s bid to join the CPTPP. Taiwan’s membership would allow us to work alongside even more like-minded partners to jointly build more resilient global supply chains in a fair and open economic and trade order.
In closing, I thank you once again for visiting. Moving forward, let us work together to resolutely defend the universal values of freedom and democracy, further deepen the Taiwan-UK partnership, and jointly contribute to global prosperity and development.
Lord Rogan then delivered remarks, first thanking President Lai for inviting them to witness his swearing-in ceremony and to hear his remarks and plans to strengthen Taiwan further under his presidency. He said that it is a pleasure to be here, but indeed more an honor to witness the historic occasion. The freedom our people enjoy under democracy, Lord Rogan said, and the democracy we live in, demonstrate to all, and especially to those in this Asia-Pacific region, how both of these basic rights enable a country to prosper. He emphasized that as they drive around our country, the evidence of this is obvious for all to see.
Lord Rogan said that he first visited our country in 1972 as a businessman, and the changes he has witnessed over many visits to our country have been absolutely enormous. He expressed confidence that under the presidency and leadership of President Lai, this will continue to ensure for our country’s benefit. He said that they visit Taiwan not only for the inauguration, but to demonstrate to the president, the government, and people of Taiwan their commitment to all of us and what we stand for. He then conveyed his assurance that they will continue to do so and advance Taiwan’s interests, both at Westminster and to the British general public.
Lord Faulkner then delivered remarks, saying that it is a real honor and a privilege to be here for President Lai’s inauguration and for the splendid events of yesterday, a day which all of them will remember for all their lives. He added that he looks forward to visiting Tainan again and seeing some of the city’s wonderful sights, which he had read about but did not have time to visit yesterday.
Lord Faulkner said that one issue on which they can all agree is that they believe that Taiwan should play a full part in the World Health Organization because our contribution to world health, particularly at times of trouble, has been exemplary. There is no better example of this actually in our homeland, he said, than the way in which we dealt with the very severe earthquake on April 3. He expressed their sympathy for those we lost and for those who were injured, but said that they are full of admiration for the way in which our services coped with the situation and got everything back to normal.
As trade envoy since 2016, Lord Faulkner said there is a lot of work that goes on in Taiwan and in the UK bringing our companies and our interests together. He looks forward to the trade talks later this year, he said, and to the Tech Week activities in Britain when we will have a delegation whom he will be looking after. In closing, Lord Faulkner wished President Lai every success of his term of office, and said that they look forward to working with him closely.
Also in attendance at the meeting were Members of the House of Lords Baroness D’Souza and Lord Alton and Member of the House of Commons Sarah Champion. The delegation was accompanied to the Presidential Office by British Office Taipei Representative John Dennis.