U.K. seeking to strengthen trade ties with Taiwan: outgoing envoy

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/08/17
By: Elaine Hou

Taipei, Aug. 17 (CNA) The United Kingdom has strong trade and investment ties with Taiwan and is seeking to advance bilateral trade relations, with bilateral trade talks planned for September, the U.K.’s outgoing representative to Taiwan said Wednesday.

Lauding the U.K.’s strong trade and investment relations with Taiwan, Chris Wood — head of the British Office in Taipei — said the latest figures available on U.K. trade and service exports to Taiwan show a 2.3 percent year-on-year increase in 2014 to reach their second-highest level at 1.9 billion pounds (US$2.47 billion), while the total value of bilateral trade was 5.8 billion pounds.

Taiwan ranks as the U.K.’s No. 6 trading partner in the Asia-Pacific (behind China, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea and Singapore), and is the U.K.’s 32nd-largest trading partner globally, he said. One of the strongest-performing exports to Taiwan continues to be scotch whisky, he added.     [FULL  STORY]