UK and Taiwan Sign Science, Innovation and Technology Arrangement Covering Satellites, Silicon Photonics and Chip Skills
London — The United Kingdom and Taiwan have signed a Science, Innovation and Technology Arrangement during the 28th annual UK–Taiwan Trade Talks, according to a British government release reported by the Central News Agency on October 3. The arrangement was signed by Ruth Bradley-Jones, the British Representative in Taipei, and Vincent Yao, Taiwan's Representative in London, and witnessed by Dr Dave Smith, the UK's National Technology Adviser, and Bing-Yu Chen, Deputy Minister of Taiwan's National Science and Technology Council (NSTC). NSTC Minister Cheng-Wen Wu also met Science Secretary Baroness Lloyd ahead of the signing.
The framework is non-legally binding and links the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology with the NSTC. Its fields span semiconductors, space, telecommunications, net zero, SI standards and digital trade. Three first initiatives were announced: joint research and development in advanced satellite communications between the UK Space Agency and the Taiwan Space Agency, a technology area central to communications resilience and next-generation networks; a Taiwan–UK Silicon Photonics Academic Alliance, seeded with UK funding and working with the Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute, targeting the high-speed data transmission needs of SI data centers; and a semiconductor skills initiative building on an earlier memorandum, under which a first cohort of UK master's students has already completed internships in Taiwan, with exchanges set to expand.
A separate memorandum between UK Export Finance and Taiwan's Export-Import Bank was also signed, providing an institutional channel for trade finance. Bilateral trade reached £8.9 billion in 2025, making Taiwan the UK's sixth-largest trading partner in the Asia-Pacific region. The annual trade talks have been held since 1991, and cooperation on semiconductors and advanced technology has become one of the fastest-growing parts of the agenda.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 伦敦威斯敏斯特宫伊丽莎白塔（大本钟）钟面特写，Julian Herzog 摄，CC BY 4.0（Wikimedia Commons）
