The British Office, Taipei () is the representative office of the United Kingdom Government in Taiwan. It maintains and develops financial, educational, cultural, and technological relations and provides assistance to British nationals in Taiwan. It functions as a de facto embassy in the absence of diplomatic relations between Westminster and Taipei.
Its Taiwanese counterpart in the United Kingdom is the Taipei Representative Office in the United Kingdom.
Background There are hundreds of UK companies in Taiwan across sectors such as finance, telecommunications, infrastructure, environmental technology, creative industries and marine industries. The late 2010s presented particular opportunities in offshore wind, railways and nuclear decommissioning. Taiwan also serves as a springboard into China for UK companies.
Principal officers Heads of mission + Name Photo Tenure Note Philip Morrice 1993 – 1995Alan S. Collins 1995 – 1998David Coates 1999 – 2002Derek R. Marsh 2002 – 2005Michael D. Reilly 2006 – 2009David Campbell 2009 – 2013Chris Wood2013-2015Chris Wood 2015 –2016Damion Potter 2016ActingCatherine Nettleton 2016 – 2020Andrew Thomas Pittam 2020Acting John Dennis 2020 – 2025 Ruth Bradley-Jones 2025 –
Deputy heads of mission + Name Photo Tenure NoteDeborah Anne Clarke 1997- Jeremy Francis Larner 1999 – 2002 Roderick Bunten 2002 – 2005 Charles Edmund Garrett 2005-2009 Margaret Tongue 2009-2013 Damion Potter 2013-2015 Damion Potter 2015-2017 Andrew Thomas Pittam 2017-2021 Thomas "Tom" Burn 2021-
Location The office has been located in President International Tower (統一國際大樓) in Xinyi District since 22 January 2008.British Trade and Cultural Office moves to a new office, The China Post, January 29, 2008 It is accessible within walking distance south of Taipei City Hall Station of the Taipei Metro.
The office is co-located with the British Council and the British Chamber of Commerce in Taipei.
History
The office, then known as the British Trade and Cultural Office, was opened in October 1993.Taiwan Yearbook, Government Information Office, 2000, page 147 It succeeded the Anglo-Taiwan Trade Committee, a privately financed entity established in 1976,A Pretence of Privatisation: Taiwan's External Relations, Françoise Mengin, in Privatising the State, Béatrice Hibou, C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 2004, pages 157-158 following the closure of the British Consulate in Tamsui, Taipei County in 1972. Unlike its predecessor, it could issue visas directly to people in Taiwan.East Asian Executive Reports, Volume 16, International Executive Reports, 1994
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.
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 General" to "Representative".
See also List of diplomatic missions in Taiwan Taiwan–United Kingdom relations Foreign relations of the United Kingdom Foreign relations of Taiwan
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