September 27, 2017
No.166
The Lord Faulkner of Worcester, Deputy Speaker of the UK House of Lords, and his Liberal Democrat peer, the Lord Shutt of Greetland, former Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Lords, are visiting the Republic of China (Taiwan) from September 25 to 29.
The two lords are here to attend the signing ceremony for a letter of intent on cooperation between Britain’s Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway Preservation Co. Ltd. and Taiwan’s Alishan Forest Railway. They will also go on a tour of the Alishan area organized by the Council of Agriculture’s Forestry Bureau. They will call at the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and the National Development Council, and attend a reception held in their honor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In addition, visits to the Taipei Railway Workshop, Taipei 101, and other sites of cultural and economic interest are included.
Lord Faulkner, who was appointed Trade Envoy to Taiwan by the British Prime Minister in January of 2016, led a delegation to participate in the 5th Taiwan-UK Railway Industry Forum held in November last year. He is returning to learn more about the rail industry in Taiwan, and the preservation of traditional railways here. His visit will help deepen bilateral ties and cooperative exchanges in related areas.
The UK and Taiwan have put in place three dialogue mechanisms, including the annual Taiwan-UK Trade Talks, the Taiwan-UK Renewable Energy Roundtable, and the Taiwan-UK Railway Industry Forum. (E)