President Tsai meets parliamentarians from UK Labour Party

On the morning of April 2, President Tsai Ing-wen met with a delegation of parliamentarians from the United Kingdom's Labour Party. In remarks, President Tsai thanked the members of the delegation for establishing Labour Friends of Taiwan, which is strengthening UK support for Taiwan and continues to boost Taiwan-UK parliamentary exchanges. She also thanked the British parliament for emphasizing the importance of peace across the Taiwan Strait to global affairs. The president expressed hope that Taiwan and the UK will continue to deepen cooperation, and that the UK will support Taiwan's application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which would allow Taiwan and the UK to build an even closer partnership and contribute even more to the world together.

A translation of President Tsai's remarks follows:

I extend a very warm welcome to The Lord Leong CBE, co-chair of Labour Friends of Taiwan and shadow spokesperson for business and trade, as he leads this parliamentary delegation from the Labour Party to Taiwan. I believe this visit will enhance mutual understanding between Taiwan and the UK and promote even closer cooperation going forward.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the delegation for establishing Labour Friends of Taiwan in March 2023. This helps strengthen UK support for Taiwan and continues to boost Taiwan-UK parliamentary exchanges. I would also like to thank the British parliament for placing emphasis on Taiwan Strait-related issues. Last year, the House of Commons Foreign Affairs and Defence committees published reports on the Indo-Pacific that emphasized the importance of peace across the Taiwan Strait to global affairs. There is an international consensus on the need to safeguard the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region. We look forward to working with the UK and other democracies to advance regional prosperity and development. 

In previous years, collaboration between Taiwan and the UK has yielded fruitful results in such areas as the economic sector, science and technology, and offshore wind power. And the Taiwan-UK Enhanced Trade Partnership arrangement signed last year holds especially profound significance. I am confident that Taiwan and the UK will continue to deepen cooperation in such fields as digital trade, investment, and renewable energy, as well as net-zero carbon emissions. This will help generate mutually beneficial development.

With its accession to the CPTPP, we hope that the UK will support Taiwan's application for membership. This would allow Taiwan and the UK to build an even closer partnership and contribute even more to the world together.

In closing, I thank you all once again for your visit, which demonstrates the Labour Party's friendship and support for Taiwan. Please feel welcome to visit Taiwan more frequently in the future as we continue to deepen the friendship between Taiwan and the UK.

Lord Leong then delivered remarks, saying he brings greetings from the UK Labour Party. He said he is proud to address such an illustrious group of people on behalf of his delegation, especially as the Labour Party's first ever East Asian member of the House of Lords.

Lord Leong stated that it has been equally fascinating and inspiring to witness the energy, drive, and economic success that has been delivered in the past eight years under the Democratic Progressive Party and President Tsai's leadership. He pointed out that President Tsai has shown that political stability encourages long-term strategic thinking and investment, which is vital for economic success in a competitive and rapidly changing global climate, and that many in the Labour Party are looking at this very closely.

Lord Leong stated that he has championed the vital role of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in building an agile and forward-looking economy. He said he has been delighted to discover that in Taiwan, SMEs dominate the economy, accounting for around 98 percent of enterprises, and indicated that he will be looking at this as well during his time in Taiwan.

Lord Leong went on to emphasize the remarkable success story that is Taiwan's Kavalan Whisky, which burst onto the global stage in less than 20 years. This has been done, he said, not only by learning from the experience of Scotland and seeking the expertise of Japanese distillers working in a similar climate, but by adapting to the particular environmental conditions of this beautiful island and injecting the Taiwanese entrepreneurial spirit, thus creating a world-class product. He said Kavalan is an example of how to innovate by learning from others across the globe and establish a vision by blending traditions with modern techniques, and that it has inspired him and his Labour Party colleagues very much.

Lord Leong closed by wishing Taiwan every success under President-elect Lai Ching-te, and expressed hope that he and his delegation may visit again as government ministers, rather than as shadow ministers, to continue to strengthen commercial, educational, and cultural ties between Taiwan and the UK as we learn from one another.

Also in attendance at the meeting were House of Lords Members Lord Grantchester and Lord McNicol, and House of Commons Members Sharon Hodgson, Diana Johnson, Navendu Mishra, and Andrew Western. The delegation was accompanied to the Presidential Office by British Office Taipei Representative John Dennis.