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 (BTCO), 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.^[1] 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
British Office Taipei at the Uni-President International Tower
Location	Xinyi, Taipei, Taiwan
Address	26F, President International Tower, No. 9-11, Song Gao Road
Coordinates	25°02′23″N 121°33′56″E
Jurisdiction	Taiwan
Permanent representative	Ruth Bradley-Jones
Website	British Office Taipei

Its Taiwanese counterpart in London is the Taipei Representative Office in the UK.

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.^[1]

Principal officers

Heads of mission

Name	Photo	Tenure	Note
Director General, British Trade and Culture Office (1993–2015)
Philip Morrice		1993 – 1995
Alan S. Collins		1995 – 1998
David Coates		1999 – 2002
Derek R. Marsh		2002 – 2005
Michael D. Reilly		2006 – 2009
David Campbell		2009 – 2013	[2]
Representative, British Office Taipei (2015–)
Chris Wood		2013 –2016
Damion Potter		2016	Acting[3]
Catherine Nettleton		2016 – 2020	[4]
Andrew Thomas Pittam		2020	Acting
John Dennis		2020 – 2025	[5]
Ruth Bradley-Jones		2025 –	[6]

Deputy heads of mission

Name	Photo	Tenure	Note
Deputy Director General, British Trade and Culture Office (1993–2015)
Deborah Anne Clarke		1997-	[7][8]
Jeremy Francis Larner		1999 – 2002	[9]
Roderick Bunten		2002 – 2005	[10]
Charles Edmund Garrett		2005-2009	[11]
Margaret Tongue		2009-2013	[12]
Damion Potter		2013-2017	[13]
Deputy Representative, British Office Taipei (2015–)
Andrew Thomas Pittam		2017-2021
Thomas "Tom" Burn		2021-	[14][15]

Location

The office has been located in President International Tower (統一國際大樓) in Xinyi District since 22 January 2008.^[16] 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.^[1]

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.^[17][18] It succeeded the Anglo-Taiwan Trade Committee, a privately financed entity established in 1976,^[19] following the closure of the British Consulate in Tamsui in 1972. Unlike its predecessor, it could issue visas directly to people in Taiwan.^[20]

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.^[17]

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".^[21]

See also

• List of diplomatic missions in Taiwan
• Taiwan–United Kingdom relations
• Foreign relations of the United Kingdom
• Foreign relations of Taiwan