On 20 December, the TRO held its Year-End Reception at the National Liberal Club, London. The event welcomed more than 200 guests, including diplomats, government officials, parliamentarians, media personnel, academics and members of the overseas Taiwanese community.
Representative Lin praised the steady growth of Taiwan-UK relations in his address, pointing out that the UK remains Taiwan’s primary investment destination in Europe while exchanges in tourism, culture and education have increased significantly. As a testament to this growth, he cited the 20th round of Taiwan-UK trade talks and the resumption of direct flights between Taipei and London in December this year. The Representative also affirmed his hope that bilateral relations will continue to progress and expand in 2018.
The UK Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Taiwan, Lord Faulkner of Worcester and Deputy-Chairman of the Taiwan-Britain Business Council Mr Peter Kent also delivered remarks. Lord Faulkner declared that 2017 has been a great year for Taiwan-UK relations, adding that there have been many exchanges between both countries, with numerous high-level delegations visiting Taiwan and the UK respectively. Peter Kent echoed Lord Faulkner’s words and reflected on his experience in promoting UK-Taiwan business exchange over the past 30 years, acknowledging the strength of bilateral relations to date.
The reception featured musical performances from Taiwanese pianist Dr Shu-Wei Tseng as well as vocalist Ms Der-Shin Hwang. Among the songs performed by Ms Hwang was the classic Chinese love song, The Moon Represents My Heart, as well as Auld Lang Syne, which saw the audience sing along with her.
Notable guests included Ambassador of Dominican Republic H.E. Federico Alberto Cuello Camilo, the wife of Ambassador of Honduras H.E. Ivan Romero-Martinez, former directors of the British Office Taipei Mr Derek Marsh, Mr Michael Reilly and Mr David Campbell, former UK Financial Secretary to the Treasury Stephen Timms, Vice-chair of the British-Taiwanese All-Party Parliamentary Group Bob Stewart MP and Royal Borough of Greenwich’s Leader of the Council Denise Hyland.