Sunday, March 14, 2010

Taiwan-UK relations improving as exchanges grow: BTCO director

Taipei, March 14 (CNA) Relations between the United Kingdom and Taiwan have been substantially improving as the result of hard work and growing exchanges on all fronts, the U.K.'s representative to Taiwan said in an interview with the Central News Agency recently.

Increased trade flow and investment, and growing cultural, educational and tourism exchanges have all contributed to the improving bilateral ties, said David Campbell, director of the British Trade and Cultural Office (BTCO) , the country's official authority in Taiwan in the absence of diplomatic ties.

In terms of tourism, the U.K.'s decision to lift visa requirements for Taiwanese tourists in March 2009 has pushed visitor numbers to Britain sharply higher.

According to statistics from Taiwan's Tourism Bureau, the number of Taiwanese visitors to the U.K. between March and December 2009 rose 37.2 percent from the same period a year earlier.

Also, Taiwan's EVA Air offers flights to London seven days a week and China Airlines will soon launch service to London three times a week, and Campbell believes that with increasing capacity and better packages, even more Taiwanese tourists can be expected to visit the U.K. in the future.

The number of Taiwanese students studying in the U.K. have also increased over the years, with about 15,000 Taiwanese currently enrolled in British educational institutions.

British education officials have been "full of praise" for Taiwanese students' accomplishments, Campbell said.

"It has been one of the success stories," he said. "I'm told that 20 years ago there were less than 50 and now the U.K. is the second most common destination, behind the U.S., for overseas Taiwanese students." The growing number of Taiwanese students in the U.K. had various levels of significance for bilateral ties, Campbell said.

More Taiwanese will understand and appreciate British culture, and Taiwanese businesses in the U.K. will have a larger talent pool of university graduates who can seamlessly blend in with the companies.

Campbell was also upbeat in describing the bilateral investment climate, noting that about 180 Taiwanese companies have invested in Britain.

Kenmark Industrial, an LCD (liquid crystal display) panel manufacturer, established a factory last year in East Midlands in one of the biggest investment projects undertaken by an Asian company in the U.K. recently, and electronics OEM Foxconn, IC design company MediaTek, mobile phone maker HTC and computer vendor Acer also operate there.

The prevalence of larger companies developing a presence in Britain does not mean, however, that smaller companies cannot succeed, Campbell said, citing the success of bicycle manufacturer Giant Manufacturing in the U.K. and Europe in recent years.

"It's not the size of the company, it's the range of your products, " Campbell stressed. He said that as more Taiwanese companies strategize globally, they should consider opportunities in Britain as a gateway to the European market.

The U.K. has been recognized as an ideal place to set up a corporate headquarters, having four times the number of any country in Europe, Campbell said.

Meanwhile, there are over 300 British companies operating in Taiwan, including banks HSBC and Standard Chartered, both of which have made acquisitions in Taiwan in recent years, the diplomat noted.

Cultural exchanges between British and Taiwanese institutions in the U.K. and Taiwan must also be highlighted as a source of increasing mutual understanding, he contended.

In some ways, Campbell said, the U.K. and Taiwan are much alike in focusing on innovation, new ideas, health care, education, urban development and the development of biotechnology.

He said his office has been working with government agencies and corporations in Taiwan on many issues, including climate change and urban regeneration.

On climate change, Campbell said he is happy with the responsive reaction from businesses and the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), the increased discussions in society, and the practical commitments made by President Ma Ying-jeou.

On the proposed economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) between Taiwan and China, Campbell said that the U.K. supports free trade in general, but his office will have to see more details to have a clearer picture of its content and impact.

The BTCO has been closely monitoring what European and British businesses want and will assess the benefits and impact of the agreement based on various resources, including an independent study by the European Chamber of Commerce Taipei, because ultimately the U.K. will "be very much influenced by U.K. businesses, " he said.