British Office Taipei

British Office Taipei (Chinese: 英國在台辦事處; pinyin: Yīngguó Zài Tái Bànshì Chù; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Eng-kok chāi Tâi Pān-sū-chhù), formerly British Trade and Cultural Office, is the representative office of the United Kingdom in Taiwan with a principal role to promote the British trade and investment interests. It functions as a de facto embassy in the absence of diplomatic relations between London and Taipei.

British Office Taipei
英國在台辦事處
Uni-President International Tower where the British Office Taipei is located
LocationXinyi, Taipei, Taiwan
Coordinates25°02′23″N 121°33′56″E
JurisdictionTaiwan
High CommissionerJohn Dennis
WebsiteBritish Office Taipei

Its Taiwanese counterpart is the Taipei Representative Office in the U.K.

History
Interior of the British Office Taipei on 21 March 2018.

The office, then known as the British Trade and Cultural Office, was opened in October 1993.[1][2] It succeeded the Anglo-Taiwan Trade Committee, a privately financed entity established in 1976.[3] Unlike its predecessor, it could issue visas directly to people in Taiwan.[4]

The British Council, which had taken over and expanded the functions of the private Anglo-Taiwan Education Centre, operated the Office's Cultural and Education Section.[1]

On 26 May 2015, its name was changed to British Office Taipei to reflect the full scope of the office work, and the title of its head was changed from "Director" to "Representative".[5]

List of Directors and Representatives
NamePhotoTenureNote
Director General, British Trade and Culture Office
Philip Morrice1993 – 1995
Alan S. Collins1995 – 1998
David Coates1999 – 2002
Derek R. Marsh2002 – 2005
Michael D. Reilly2006 – 2009
David Campbell2009 – 2013[6]
Representative, British Office Taipei
Chris Wood2013 –2016
Damion Potter2016Acting Representative[7]
Catherine Nettleton2016 – 2020[8]
Andrew Thomas Pittam2020Acting Representative
John Dennis2020 –[9]

Location

The office has been located in President International Tower (統一國際大樓) in Xinyi District on January 22, 2008.[10] It is accessible within walking distance south of Taipei City Hall Station of the Taipei Metro.

See also

References
  1. "House of Commons - Foreign Affairs - Minutes of Evidence". parliament.uk.
  2. Taiwan Yearbook, Government Information Office, 2000, page 147
  3. A Pretence of Privatisation: Taiwan's External Relations, Françoise Mengin, in Privatising the State, Béatrice Hibou, C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 2004, pages 157-158
  4. East Asian Executive Reports, Volume 16, International Executive Reports, 1994
  5. BTCO officially changes name to 'British Office', The China Post, May 28, 2015
  6. "Change of High Commissioner to Brunei". Foreign & Commonwealth Office. 23 May 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  7. "Damion Potter, Representative, British Office Taipei". gov.uk. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  8. "Former Taiwan Foreign Minister visits the UK". Taipei Representative Office in the U.K. 2 November 2016. Archived from the original on 6 November 2016. Retrieved 2016-11-06.
  9. "John Dennis, Representative, British Office Taipei". gov.uk. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  10. British Trade and Cultural Office moves to a new office, The China Post, January 29, 2008
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