World Trade Organization's Chinese Taipei’s Trade Policy Review, November 2023: UK Statement
The UK's Permanent Representative to the WTO and UN in Geneva, Simon Manley, gave a statement during Chinese Taipei’s fifth WTO Trade Policy Review (TPR).
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Chair, Iet me join others in welcoming Chinese Taipei’s delegation, led by Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs, Mr. Chen. Let me also express my gratitude to the Chinese Taipei Administration and to colleagues from the WTO Secretariat for their respective reports, to the Chair, as ever, and to our Discussant, for his comments.
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Let me begin by welcoming the opportunity to discuss a relationship which is highly valued by the UK. Our islands may be on opposite sides of the world, but we share deep and growing ties in a wide range of areas, and a mutual respect for democratic values.
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These foundations underpin the significant benefits our relationship has delivered to both the UK and Chinese Taipei economies in recent years, with bilateral trade in 2022 worth £8.6 billion. Our ties also overcome Chinese Taipei’s unfortunate eschewal of football and cricket, in favour of baseball and basketball, as popular pastimes.
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In view of the benefits our trade delivers, I welcome Chinese Taipei’s commitment to continue broadening and deepening our trade relationship. Indeed, only yesterday [6 November], Deputy Minister Chen was in London for our annual Ministerial Trade Talks.
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This was in fact the 26th iteration of our annual Trade Talks, which first began back in 1991, and I was pleased to hear that they were as productive as ever.
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These talks followed the announcement earlier this year of a new “Enhanced Trade Partnership” between the UK and Chinese Taipei.
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We welcome these opportunities to strengthen our fast-growing economic relationship. Investment from Chinese Taipei to the UK reached £42 million from January to August this year, up over 250% on last year. We have also seen substantial results in offshore wind, with over 40 UK companies now established in Chinese Taipei, helping to meet ambitious targets for renewable energy production and enable the path to net zero.
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We look forward to working closely with Chinese Taipei to explore further opportunities for growth in other sectors, including by making trade and investment easier for British and Taiwanese businesses.
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The UK would particularly welcome progress in tackling some of the key market access barriers companies have faced in recent years. These include addressing the concerns of the banking sector over cloud data services, implementing changes to the Managed Entrance Agreement process for bringing innovative drugs into Chinese Taipei, and amending domestic regulations to re-allow the UK’s vehicle type approval certificate and testing report. The improvement of ports infrastructure, and promotion of skills, health and safety in the offshore wind sector, would be similarly welcome.
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Let me also thank Chinese Taipei for the progress made on securing market access for UK lamb. UK farmers will be delighted with this development, and we look forward to Taiwanese consumers being able to enjoy British lamb in their hot pots in the near future.
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In my capacity as co-chair of the Informal Working Group on Trade and Gender, I also wholeheartedly welcome Chinese Taipei’s commitment to provide more opportunities for women in decision-making and entrepreneurship, including through its Gender Equality Promotion Plan. I hope to see Chinese Taipei continue to prioritise its various initiatives to support women in business and trade.
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Chair, let me turn to Chinese Taipei’s membership of the WTO.
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We strongly support Chinese Taipei’s active and visible participation within the WTO. We especially appreciate the value that Chinese Taipei, as an active trading economy, places on maintaining the stability of the rules-based multilateral trading system.
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Chinese Taipei’s respect for this system is demonstrated by its constructive engagement across a range of WTO Committees and Joint Initiatives, including on ecommerce and within our crucial fisheries subsidies negotiations. We look forward to working together with Chinese Taipei and other Members to help conclude an ambitious fisheries agreement next month, well ahead of MC13.
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Let me also take this opportunity to express the UK’s full support for Chinese Taipei’s use of WTO mechanisms to ensure that its trade remains free and unrestricted. Chinese Taipei is a full Member of the WTO, and as such enjoys the same rights and obligations as any other Member.
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So, it deserves to be able to engage as actively and fully as it wishes to within the WTO, including through the chairing of Committees. We will continue to oppose any efforts by other Members to restrict its participation, and reiterate our full support for its active engagement within this organisation.
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Indeed, Chinese Taipei is an increasingly crucial component within the modern global economy, holding deep expertise on technology which is defining the future. Taiwanese firms are now world leaders in high-tech manufacturing and at the centre of global technology supply chains.
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We would therefore like to thank the Chair and Discussant for facilitating this opportunity to draw on Chinese Taipei’s expertise, thank Chinese Taipei for its constructive answers to our Advanced Written Questions, and wish it a successful Trade Policy Review.