Meeting with UK representative Barbara Woodward, Premier hopes for UK’s assistance in Taiwan’s admission to CPTPP.

【Epoch Times April 15, 2025】Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang met with Ruth Bradley-Jones, representative of the British Office in Taiwan, on the 14th, expressing hope that the United Kingdom will continue to assist Taiwan in joining the CPTPP to safeguard the international economic and trade order and global prosperity.

Premier Su Tseng-chang met with Ruth Bradley-Jones and her delegation from the British Office in Taiwan on the 14th. In his speech, he first thanked the British Foreign Office for expressing concern about the military exercises conducted by the Chinese Communist Party near Taiwan on the 2nd and emphasized the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait to global prosperity. On April 6, the G7 foreign ministers, including those from the UK, issued a joint statement expressing concern about Chinese exercises near Taiwan, escalating cross-strait tensions and posing risks to global security and prosperity.

Premier Su Tseng-chang mentioned that during Ruth Bradley-Jones’ tenure at the British Foreign Office, she had extensive experience in Asian-Pacific affairs and had been stationed in Myanmar twice, showing a deep understanding of the geopolitical relationships and developments in the Indo-Pacific region. He expressed confidence that the shared democratic values between Taiwan and the UK would flourish further and increase understanding and concern among partner countries in the world democratic camp for the security and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.

Taiwan and the UK have a long history of development relations. In the 19th century, due to trade and commerce, three consulates were established in Taiwan in Tainan, Anping, and Danshui, serving as windows for Eastern and Western cultural exchanges. The buildings of the former British consulates in Kaohsiung Tainan and New Taipei Danshui are still preserved to this day, becoming important local attractions.

“Meanwhile, missionaries from the UK, including James Laidlaw Maxwell, Thomas Barclay, and William Campbell, made remarkable contributions to various aspects of modern education, public health, and medical care in Taiwan, promoting concepts such as human rights and democracy, profoundly influencing Taiwan’s national consciousness and post-war democratic movements,” Premier Su Tseng-chang said.

In recent years, many British companies have participated in events such as the Taiwan International Semiconductor Expo, the Taiwan Space International Summit, and the Asia-Pacific International Wind Power Exhibition, demonstrating their understanding of and assistance to Taiwan. In 2023, Taiwan and the UK signed the Enhancing Trade Partnership Agreement (ETP), marking the first institutionalized economic and trade framework between a European country and Taiwan, deepening cooperation on investment, digital trade, energy, and net-zero emissions.

Premier Su Tseng-chang further stated that the UK officially joined the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) last year, becoming the first European member economy. As an essential member of the global supply chain, Taiwan hopes to bring more economic and trade benefits to the CPTPP and believes Taiwan meets the high standards of the “Auckland Principles” for joining the agreement and is willing to adhere to trade norms and commitments.

“What Taiwan lacks now is the consensus of all member countries. We look forward to the UK’s continued assistance in Taiwan’s accession to the CPTPP, jointly creating an advanced industrial supply chain with values at its core, safeguarding the common international economic and trade order, and ensuring global prosperity development based on freedom,” Premier Su Tseng-chang said.

Premier Su Tseng-chang mentioned that Taiwan and the UK have vast cooperation opportunities in economic and energy security, digital and financial resilience, and technological and manufacturing innovation. He looks forward to more frequent and lively interactions between Taiwan and the UK during Ruth Bradley-Jones’ tenure, hoping that various cooperation projects will display new development relationships, and he wished Ruth Bradley-Jones success in her new position.

In her remarks, Ruth Bradley-Jones expressed that the Taiwan-UK relationship continues to grow, believing that both sides can further deepen cooperation on shared values such as democratic principles and innovative economies. In terms of economic and trade cooperation, she believes that the UK’s Industrial Strategy complements Taiwan’s “Five Big Trust Industries,” and there is cooperation potential in four strategic areas, including digital technology, clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and financial services, with the UK fully supporting the partnership between the two sides.

Ruth Bradley-Jones pointed out that in the field of digital technology, both sides can expand cooperation in new technologies such as AI, semiconductors, and cybersecurity to develop a secure and resilient global supply chain. In terms of clean energy, the UK has always been a partner supporting Taiwan’s development of offshore wind power and has provided over 1 billion pounds of export credit guarantees for Taiwan’s offshore wind power projects. Additionally, in Taiwan’s resilience and security, the UK fully supports Taiwan in building societal defense resilience, and both sides can learn from each other in areas such as telecommunications, cybersecurity, and democratic systems.

Ruth Bradley-Jones emphasized that Taiwan and the UK have a strategic partnership based on mutual interests, values, and mutual respect. She believes there is still much room for cooperation and looks forward to jointly promoting various collaborations with Taiwan.