President Lai meets British Office Taipei Representative John Dennis

On the morning of August 26, President Lai Ching-te met with British Office Taipei Representative John Dennis. In remarks, President Lai thanked Representative Dennis for his efforts and contributions over the past four years to deepening Taiwan-United Kingdom ties. The president also thanked the UK government and parliament, which have shown a high degree of cross-party support for Taiwan. He expressed hope that the UK will take concrete actions to support Taiwan, deepening Taiwan-UK ties, and that it will jointly support the democratic umbrella to protect global peace and prosperity.

A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows:

First of all, I want to thank Representative 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 ties. Three years ago, Representative Dennis attended a commemoration in Tainan for the centennial of Dr. James Laidlaw Maxwell’s death. At the event, I expressed the hope that Taiwan and the UK, with Representative Dennis’s assistance, would continue to advance our longstanding friendship in the spirit of Dr. Maxwell. Representative Dennis has gone above and beyond to make this happen, and we deeply admire him for his outstanding efforts.   

At the end of last year, Taiwan and the UK signed an Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP) arrangement, the first advanced economic and trade framework that Taiwan has established with a European country. It has lifted Taiwan-UK relations to new heights and established a new model for future engagement. We thank Representative 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) at the end of this year, it will take concrete actions to support Taiwan’s entry into the CPTPP. This will help strengthen Taiwan-UK cooperation to promote global prosperity and development.

I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the UK on its successful general election last month. Taiwan very much looks forward to our ties further deepening under Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s leadership. The UK government and parliament have shown a high degree of cross-party support for Taiwan in recent years. At the G7 and other international fora, the UK has continually reiterated the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. It has also redoubled its efforts to back Taiwan’s participation in international organizations. I want to express my utmost appreciation for these efforts. 

In addition, the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China – which has its secretariat in London – held its annual summit in Taiwan for the first time last month. Undaunted by pressure from China, 49 parliamentarians from the European Parliament and 23 countries – including the UK – took part in the summit. It was the largest ever multinational legislative delegation to visit Taiwan. We thank the UK for its support. Looking ahead, we hope that Taiwan, the UK, and other democratic partners will jointly support the democratic umbrella to protect global peace and prosperity. With Representative Dennis’s support, I look forward to achieving this goal together.

Representative Dennis then delivered remarks, saying that it is a pleasure and an honor to have this opportunity to discuss the thriving UK-Taiwan relationship with President Lai. Referring to the president’s remarks in which he mentioned their first meeting in Tainan when they were there to commemorate the service of Dr. Maxwell, the representative remarked that he also remembers when the president included him in a small group of heads of mission on a visit to Alishan’s Tfuya Historic Trail, a very energetic day which also inspired him. He said that President Lai has always shown incredible energy and diligence to whatever task is at hand, and he expressed his certainty that the president will continue to bring these qualities to his presidency.

Representative Dennis noted that while both the UK and Taiwan are under new leadership, our common interests remain very much the same. He emphasized that the UK sees stability and prosperity in the Euro-Atlantic and in the Indo-Pacific as indivisible, and said that their Prime Minister Sir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy have reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific. He remarked that the importance of Taiwan in the modern age means that developments here have a real impact on the UK and elsewhere in the world, no matter how far apart we might be geographically. And on Taiwan, he stated, the UK’s longstanding policy has not changed; they continue to have a clear interest in peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and they oppose unilateral attempts to change the status quo.

Representative Dennis pointed out that UK-Taiwan cooperation has expanded vastly in recent years, adding that they are particularly proud of the progress we are making, in science and technology, in energy and net zero, on bilingualism, and in people-to-people links, including, on the parliamentary and other sides, where the numbers of senior British visitors to Taiwan now and in the other direction has increased greatly. He said that the UK has always been a strong supporter of Taiwan’s international participation and, more recently, an enthusiastic participant in the Global Cooperation and Training Framework. 

Representative Dennis stated that we have strong foundations to build on over the next four years of President Lai’s presidency and that there is so much that is established and that is new to talk about. Regarding the CPTPP, he said that they have been delighted to be able to provide some of their experience as they have been through the process of application and joining. In closing, the representative said that he much looks forward to taking our relationship forward across the piece.