VIDEO | Taiwan’s evolving role in enabling trade across EBRD regions - Trade Treasury Payments

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VIDEO | Taiwan’s evolving role in enabling trade across EBRD regions

At the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) 2025 Annual Meeting and Business Forum in London, Trade Treasury Payments (TTP) Editor Deepesh Patel spoke with Vincent Yao, Taiwan’s Representative to the United Kingdom and Senior Advisor to the EBRD to discuss Taiwan’s strategic role in facilitating trade and economic development across EBRD regions.

Taiwan’s technological capabilities, particularly in digitalisation and innovation, have made it an influential partner within EBRD regions, and, through the bank’s technical cooperation programmes, Taiwan has actively supported capacity building within these markets in a variety of areas. These include digital strategy, smart transportation, and fintech development.

Yao said, “Taiwan has widely implemented solutions in e-governance, customs modernisation, logistics, and fintech. These capabilities can provide practical, scalable models for EBRD regions.”

To help it reach global markets, the island nation has been taking a proactive approach to trade agreements, exemplified by a series of significant pacts signed with major trading partners over the past few years. 

Yao said, “Taiwan has signed the Initiative on 21st Century Trade with the United States and recently concluded a key arrangement under this initiative. Similarly, Taiwan and the UK signed the Enhanced Trade Partnership in 2023, an overarching agreement emphasising two-way investment, digital trade, and net-zero and green energy initiatives. We hope to finalise specific agreements under this partnership by July.”

While these bilateral agreements are noteworthy, Taiwan remains committed to both bilateral and multilateral trade relationships. The country has continually advocated for participation in key multilateral frameworks, including the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

Yao said, “Taiwan has been a reliable stakeholder in international supply chains, supporting rules-based, open, and fair trade practices. While actively pursuing bilateral engagements, such as with the US and UK, we remain firmly committed to multilateralism. Our efforts towards bilateral and multilateral cooperation are complementary, not substitutes.”