Taipei: United Kingdom parliamentarian Tom Tugendhat arrived in Taiwan Sunday for a four-day visit during which he will meet with Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim and other senior government officials, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Monday. Tugendhat, a member of the U.K. Conservative Party and a former minister of state, will also meet with former President Tsai Ing-wen, MOFA said in a press release.

According to Focus Taiwan, the foreign ministry did not provide specifics of Tugendhat's scheduled meetings with Vice President Hsiao or other high-level government officials, mentioning only that they will include Deputy Foreign Minister Fran§ois Wu and Deputy Legislative Speaker Johnny Chiang. During the four-day visit, Tugendhat will also be the guest of honor at two banquets, hosted by Wu and National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu, respectively.

The parliamentarian, who represents the town of Tonebridge in Kent, has been invited to deliver a closed-door speech at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research. He is expected to discuss Taiwan's efforts in the defense of freedom. Tugendhat previously served in the U.K. Cabinet as minister of state for security from September 2022 to July 2024. Before that, he was chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee from 2017 to 2022. During his tenure on the committee, he advocated for Taiwan's participation in the World Health Assembly through open letters to the World Health Organization's director-general and the U.K. secretary of state for health and social care.

On his current visit to Taiwan, which marks his first, Tugendhat is accompanied by his Senior Parliamentary Assistant Lottie Dane.