Taipei: Annual trade talks between the United Kingdom and Taiwan began in Taipei on Sunday, with U.K. Minister for Trade Policy and Economic Security Douglas Alexander leading the British delegation. Both sides aim to deepen bilateral ties during these discussions.

According to Focus Taiwan, Alexander’s two-day visit includes meetings with President Lai Ching-te and co-chairing the trade talks with Taiwan’s Deputy Economics Minister Cynthia Kiang. The British Office Taipei communicated that Alexander will also tour the Taiwan Space Agency in Hsinchu and engage with representatives from British and Taiwanese businesses, including ARM, a U.K.-based semiconductor firm, and Walsin Lihwa Corp., a Taiwanese company with investments in the U.K.

Alexander will witness the in-person signing of three Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP) pillars between U.K. Representative Ruth Bradley-Jones and Taiwan’s Representative to the U.K. Vincent Yao. These pillars involve cooperation on investment, digital trade, and energy/net-
zero initiatives. The ETP framework, established by Taiwan and the U.K. in 2023, focuses on high-growth potential sectors. Recently, the U.K. identified renewable energy and digital trade as key priorities in its post-Brexit trade strategy released on June 26.

In a pre-meeting news release, Alexander highlighted that the ETP pillars aim to boost trade in growth-driving sectors, contributing to economic growth and supporting the U.K.’s Plan for Change. The U.K. government stated that bilateral trade with Taiwan reached £9.3 billion (US$12.7 billion) in 2024, a 7.7 percent increase from the previous year, making Taiwan the U.K.’s 33rd-largest trade partner. Additionally, the U.K. was Taiwan’s 16th-largest export destination in 2023, accounting for roughly 0.84 percent of Taiwan’s total exports.

The annual trade talks, in their 27th year since 1991, along with the ETP, are designed to further enhance trade, investment, and economic cooperation between Taiwan and the U.K.