Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to co-operate with Taiwan on renewable energy; and whether his Department plans actively to engage with Taiwan’s delegation at the 24th Session of the Conference of the Parties under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in December 2018.

Cooperation on renewable energy forms part of the UK’s commercial and economic ties with Taiwan. In 2017 we agreed to initiate an official-level dialogue on energy as a component of the annual Trade Talks. The first meeting took place in June 2018 in London between officials from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Department for International Trade, and a delegation led by Taiwan’s Bureau of Energy. The dialogue focussed on renewable energy, particularly offshore wind, grid stability and smart energy systems. Both sides agreed that there was value in further dialogue and opportunities for businesses to work together on renewable energy.

Broader energy and climate change cooperation between the UK and Taiwan is part of our economic and commercial relationship. We expect this engagement to continue in the margins of the 24^th Conference of the Parties under the UNFCCC next month, though no formal plans have yet been made. Broad cooperation is vital for tackling this global issue.