Dr. Lin Chia-lung
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Republic of China (Taiwan)
June 19, 2025
(As Prepared for Delivery)
Ladies and gentlemen:
Good evening!
It is an honor to be here tonight. On this auspicious occasion, we gather to celebrate the official birthday of His Majesty King Charles III, as well as the enduring friendship between Taiwan and the United Kingdom.
Thanks to our joint efforts, Taiwan-UK relations have seen remarkable progress in recent years. I would like to thank the United Kingdom for its public statements expressing staunch support for Taiwan’s international participation and reaffirming the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. In particular, in its latest Strategic Defence Review, through recent remarks by British Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, and by sending HMS Spey just yesterday, the United Kingdom continues to stress the right to engage in freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait. This has sent a clear message that the security and prosperity of the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific remain as interconnected as ever—if not more so—amidst the current global outlook.
Taiwan and the United Kingdom are also steadfast economic partners. The United Kingdom is Taiwan’s second-largest source of foreign investment from Europe and the third-largest destination in Europe for Taiwanese investment. Moreover, the United Kingdom showed great leadership and vision by signing the Enhanced Trade Partnership arrangement with Taiwan in 2023, establishing the first bilateral economic framework between Taiwan and a European country. Building on this success, we now eagerly anticipate the signing of subarrangements in such key areas as digital trade, investment, and energy and net-zero transition. And looking ahead, I believe there are many opportunities for further collaboration on semiconductors, offshore wind power, and aerospace, to name just a few areas.
In addition, I would like to congratulate the United Kingdom on its formal accession to the CPTPP last December as the agreement’s first nonfounding member. Given the restructuring of global supply chains and a rapidly changing international trade landscape, the CPTPP serves as a stabilizing force in the Indo-Pacific. I believe that, now more than ever, the inclusion of Taiwan—a robust, advanced, and rule-abiding economy—is critical to securing the CPTPP’s stable and sustainable growth. As such, I hope that the United Kingdom will openly advocate for Taiwan’s bid to join this meaningful partnership. Taiwan has much to contribute to the collective prosperity of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
In closing, I would like to thank Ms. Bradley-Jones and everyone at the British Office Taipei for all they do to bolster and champion Taiwan-UK relations. I am certain that, through our mutual commitment and combined endeavors, our nations’ ties will continue to flourish in the years ahead.
Finally, I wish His Majesty King Charles a very happy birthday, and I wish all of tonight’s guests the very best of health and happiness. Thank you!