Asked by: Elizabeth Truss (Conservative - South West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 21 June 2023 to Question 187961 on The Department of Business and Trade: Taiwan, if she will identify which minister represented her Department for each meeting it held with representatives of the Taiwan Government in (a) 2018, (b) 2019, (c) 2020, (d) 2021 and (e) 2022; and if she will identify the (i) job title and (ii) grade of the most senior official who represented her Department when a minister was not present for each meeting it held with representatives of the Taiwan Government in (A) 2018, (B) 2019, (C) 2020, (D) 2021 and (E) 2022.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston
From 2018 to 2022 the annual UK-Taiwan Trade Talks were co-hosted by the Minister of State for Trade Policy. These were Sir George Hollingbery (2018), the Rt Hon Sir Conor Burns (2019), the Rt Hon Greg Hands (2020 and 2022), and the Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt (2021).
The Second Permanent Secretary met with representatives of the Taiwanese Administration in 2022.
Asked by: Elizabeth Truss (Conservative - South West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department has had discussions with representatives of the Government of Taiwan in each of the last five years.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston
The UK has no diplomatic relations with Taiwan but a strong, unofficial relationship, based on deep and growing ties in a wide range of areas, underpinned by shared democratic values.
The Department for Business and Trade has had discussions with representatives of the Taiwan administration in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022.