British Office Taipei

Coordinates: 25°02′23″N 121°33′56″E / 25.03972°N 121.56556°E / 25.03972; 121.56556

British Office Taipei
英國在台辦事處

President International Tower
Agency overview
Formed 1993 (as British Trade and Cultural Office)
2015 (as British Office Taipei)[1]
Jurisdiction  Taiwan
Headquarters Xinyi, Taipei, Taiwan
Employees 36
Minister responsible
  • Chris Wood[2], Representative
Website British Office Taipei

The British Office Taipei (Chinese: 英國在台辦事處; pinyin: Yīngguó Zài Tái Bànshì Chù) is the representative office of the United Kingdom in the 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 the two countries.

It is headed by Chris Wood, the Representative, who has previously served as Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Beijing and Consul-General in Guangzhou.[2]

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

History

The office, then known as the British Trade and Cultural Office, was opened in October 1993.[3] It succeeded the Anglo-Taiwan Trade Committee, a privately financed entity established in 1976.[4] Unlike its predecessor, it could issue visas directly to people in Taiwan.[5]

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".[6]

Location

The office has been located in President International Tower (統一國際大樓) in Xinyi District on January 22, 2008.[7] It is accessible within walking distance south of Taipei City Hall Station of the Taipei Metro.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "House of Commons - Foreign Affairs - Minutes of Evidence". parliament.uk.
  2. 1 2 Representative, British Office Taipei - Chris Wood
  3. ↑ Taiwan Yearbook, Government Information Office, 2000, page 147
  4. ↑ A Pretence of Privatisation: Taiwan's External Relations, Françoise Mengin, in Privatising the State, Béatrice Hibou, C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 2004, pages 157-158
  5. ↑ East Asian Executive Reports, Volume 16, International Executive Reports, 1994
  6. ↑ BTCO officially changes name to 'British Office', The China Post, May 28, 2015
  7. ↑ British Trade and Cultural Office moves to a new office, The China Post, January 29, 2008
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