Taiwan signs Enhanced Trade Partnership Arrangement with UK
Taiwan News | 8 November 2023
Taiwan signs Enhanced Trade Partnership Arrangement with UK
By Matthew Strong
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan has signed an Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP) Arrangement with the United Kingdom, paving the way for talks about digital trade, green energy, and investments, the government said Wednesday (Nov. 8).
The agreement is the first of its kind to be concluded between Taiwan and a European country, according to chief trade negotiator John Deng (鄧振中). He said it would be helpful to Taiwan’s bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) as the U.K. is its latest new member.
Taiwan’s envoy in London Kelly Hsieh (謝武樵) and the U.K. representative in Taiwan John Dennis signed the ETP by video conference on Wednesday, per Radio Taiwan International (RTI). Deng described the accord as a type of framework that would allow both sides to continue with further talks and sign more agreements.
Simultaneous discussions would start immediately about digital trade, investments, zero emissions, and green energy, he said. The trade negotiator said he was unable to put a target date on the agreements, but named digital trade as the one issue where differences were the smallest. The ETP Arrangement is like a tree that can grow really tall, according to Deng.
