{
Mr Hum
PS/Mr Goodlad
Private Secretary
RECEN
L
CONFIDENTIAL
HKC 020/5
2J0, 1993
DESK OF
pa
STRY
FROM:
An Take
DATE:
**CC:
G Fry
Mr Butts of
Jills
Far Eastern Department
18 May 1993
PS/PUS
Sir John Coles
Mr Crowe
Mr Mingay
Joint Directorate
Mr Ricketts, HKD Mr Wye, RAD
Mr Love, OT2/DTI
Mr Newman, DESO, MOD Mr Wilkinson, Planners Miss Barrett, Legal
Advisers
Mr Tebbit, ERD
Ms Corner, Cabinet Office British Embassy, Peking
A
POLICY TOWARDS TAIWAN
1.
(45
Mr Sawers's minute of 13 May asked for advice on the
options for taking further the steady build-up of our ties with
Taiwan.
Our Objectives and Progress so far
-
2. Our objectives in relation to Taiwan are essentially
commercial. Our exports in 1992 totalled £545 million compared
with £430 million to mainland China. Among EC countries, this
places us 3rd in the rankings after Germany and France (the latter being just ahead because of recent large defence sales).
Total British investment in Taiwan amounts to in excess of £350
million, with ICI leading the field. Taiwan is already a modest source of inward investment (4 cases with more possibilities in the pipeline). For the future, the most important development is likely to be the joint venture between BAe and the Taiwan Aerospace Corporation to continue and develop the Regional Jet
programme, but other companies including GEC and Nuclear Electric are also pursuing large contracts.
SBTAIWAN
CONFIDENTIAL
48