On the morning of August 26, President Lai Ching-te met with John Dennis, the representative of the British office in Taipei. In his speech, President Lai thanked Representative Dennis for his efforts and contributions over the past four years to deepening Taiwan-Britain relations. The President also thanked the British government and parliament, which have shown a high level of cross-party support for Taiwan. He expressed the hope that Britain would take concrete measures to support Taiwan and deepen Taiwan-Britain relations, and that they would jointly support the democratic umbrella to maintain global peace and prosperity.
The following is a translation of President Lai’s remarks:
First, I would like to thank Rep. Dennis for his congratulatory message on my inauguration in May. I am also grateful for his efforts and contributions over the past four years to deepening Taiwan-UK relations. Three years ago, Rep. Dennis attended a memorial ceremony in Tainan to mark the centenary of the death of Dr. James Laidlaw Maxwell. At the event, I expressed the hope that with Rep. Dennis’s support, Taiwan and the UK would continue to advance our long-standing friendship in the spirit of Dr. Maxwell. Rep. Dennis has done everything humanly possible to make this possible, and we deeply admire him for his outstanding efforts.
Late last year, Taiwan and the UK signed an Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP), the first advanced economic and trade framework Taiwan has established with a European country. This has taken Taiwan-UK relations to a new level and created a new model for future engagement. We thank Rep. Dennis for his efforts. And we also hope that after the UK completes its accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) late this year, it will take concrete actions to support Taiwan’s accession to the CPTPP. This will help strengthen Taiwan-UK cooperation, thereby promoting global prosperity and development.
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the UK on its successful general election last month. Taiwan very much looks forward to our relations being further deepened under the leadership of Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The UK government and parliament have shown a high level of cross-party support for Taiwan in recent years. At the G7 and other international forums, the UK has consistently stressed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. It has also redoubled its efforts to support Taiwan’s participation in international organizations. I would like to express my greatest appreciation for these efforts.
In addition, the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China – whose secretariat is in London – held its annual summit in Taiwan for the first time last month. Undeterred by pressure from China, 49 parliamentarians from the European Parliament and from 23 countries – including the UK – attended the summit. It was the largest multinational legislative delegation ever to visit Taiwan. We thank the UK for its support. Looking ahead, we hope that Taiwan, the UK and other democratic partners will join forces to support the democratic umbrella to protect global peace and prosperity. With the support of Representative Dennis, I look forward to achieving this goal together.
Representative Dennis then delivered a speech, saying it was a pleasure and honour to have the opportunity to speak with President Lai about the blossoming relationship between the UK and Taiwan. Referring to the President’s speech in which he mentioned their first meeting in Tainan when they were there to recognise the services of Dr Maxwell, the Representative noted that he also remembered the President including him in a small group of heads of mission who visited Alishan’s Tfuya Historic Trail, a very energetic day that also inspired him. He said President Lai has always shown incredible energy and diligence in any task at hand, and he expressed his confidence that the President will continue to bring these qualities to his presidency.
MP Dennis noted that while both the UK and Taiwan are under new leadership, our shared interests have remained largely the same. He stressed that the UK sees stability and prosperity in the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific as indivisible, and said that their Prime Minister, Sir Starmer, and Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, had reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. He noted that Taiwan’s importance in modern times means that developments here have real implications for the UK and other parts of the world, no matter how far apart we are geographically. And on Taiwan, he said, the UK’s long-standing policy has not changed; it remains clearly interested in peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and opposes unilateral attempts to change the status quo.
MP Dennis noted that cooperation between the UK and Taiwan has grown enormously in recent years, adding that they are particularly proud of the progress we are making in the areas of science and technology, energy and net zero, bilingualism and people-to-people relations, including at parliamentary and other levels, where the number of high-level British visitors to Taiwan and vice versa has increased sharply. He said that the UK has always been a strong supporter of Taiwan’s international participation and has recently been an enthusiastic participant in the Global Cooperation and Training Framework.
Representative Dennis stated that we have a strong foundation to build on over the next four years of President Lai’s presidency and that there is so much that is tried and tested and new that we can talk about. Regarding the CPTPP, he said that they are very excited to be able to bring some of their experience from the application and accession process. In closing, the Representative said that he is very much looking forward to moving our relationship forward in this area.
