Premier Su Tseng-chang on Thursday welcomed a British parliamentary delegation from the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee. The Taiwan-U.K. relationship is increasingly close and important, a fact which is demonstrated not only by rising trade between the two nations, but also by growing exchanges during recent years. The premier cited the Taiwan-U.K. 25th annual trade talks, held in November, which promoted collaborative scientific research involving Taiwanese and British companies. The premier added that this delegation's visit testifies to the achievements of the Taiwan-U.K. bilateral relationship, and will benefit the committee's future work in scrutinizing the U.K.'s Indo-Pacific Tilt policy.
The premier especially thanked committee chair Alicia Kearns and the other members of the delegation for their long-term concern and support for Taiwan, such as raising Taiwan-friendly motions in the House of Commons for debate and providing repeated vocal support for Taiwan's meaningful participation in the World Health Organization, World Health Assembly and other international organizations and activities. In addition, the British government has on numerous occasions issued statements underlining the importance of preserving peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. The premier hopes the future will see more exchanges and cooperation between Taiwan and the U.K. and a deepening of bilateral relations to promote a more peaceful world and foster economic development that will improve the lives of people in both countries.
In her remarks, Chairperson Kearns said that this was the first visit of a U.K. parliamentary committee in 16 years and it was long overdue. Alongside friendship and prosperity comes stability, and Taiwan and the U.K. can benefit by sharing their experiences of democracy and how they counter the threats of cyberattacks, disinformation and other shared challenges that they face. The chairperson believes such cooperation can also benefit the world, particularly in terms of renewable energy, new technologies and other fields of development that will help the U.K. and Taiwan and their global allies reach the goal of net-zero carbon emissions.
Chairperson Kearns said the U.K. will continue to support Taiwan's efforts to sustain peace and make sure that security in the Indo-Pacific region remains constant, and she hopes the friendship between the U.K. and Taiwan will produce a more peaceful and more prosperous place to live. The chairperson emphasized that there are many opportunities for the U.K. and Taiwan when they come together as likeminded partners in the recognition that rule of law and the international rules based system have never been more important.