The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan) has announced that Keir Starmer, a Member of Parliament and the leader of the Labour Party in the United Kingdom, has been appointed as Prime Minister by King Charles III on the 5th of July. Starmer, who has visited Taiwan twice before, is tasked with forming a new cabinet, and the Ministry looks forward to further cooperation and strengthening partnerships with the new government.
Keir Starmer visited Taiwan in 2016 and 2018, meeting with then-Vice President Chen Chien-jen and Minister of Justice Chiu Tai-san. Since becoming the leader of the Labour Party in April 2020, he has shown increasing interest and support for Taiwan and security in the Taiwan Strait. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has instructed the Taipei Representative Office in the UK to convey the sincere congratulations of the Taiwanese government and people to the UK government and its people.
In March of this year, Lord Leong, the Shadow Minister for Trade in the Labour Party and co-chair of the “Friends of Taiwan” group, led a delegation of Labour Party members to meet with former President Tsai Ing-wen in Taiwan. They expressed the Labour Party’s commitment to strengthening economic, trade, educational, and cultural exchanges between Taiwan and the UK. The Taiwanese government looks forward to further collaboration with Prime Minister Starmer’s new government in areas of mutual interest and importance.
Taiwan-UK relations have steadily grown in recent years, with close cooperation in areas such as economic, trade, technology, and renewable energy. Following the signing of the landmark “Enhanced Trade Partnership” (ETP) agreement in November last year, Taiwan and the UK signed a “Memorandum of Understanding on Mutual Recognition of Organic Products” in May this year. The UK is the first European country to sign such an agreement with Taiwan, highlighting the deepening substantive relationship between the two sides.
The UK is a like-minded partner with Taiwan in upholding universal values such as democracy, freedom, and the rule of law. Taiwan is willing to work hand in hand with the UK to continue deepening their democratic partnership and jointly safeguard peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.