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 with a principal role to promote the British trade and investment interests. 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
Coordinates	25°02′23″N 121°33′56″E
Jurisdiction	Taiwan
Permanent representative	John Dennis
Website	British Office Taipei

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

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.^[1][2] It succeeded the Anglo-Taiwan Trade Committee, a privately financed entity established in 1976,^[3] following the closure of the British Consulate in Tamsui in 1972. Unlike its predecessor, it could issue visas directly to people in Taiwan.^[4]

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.^[1]

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".^[5]

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	[6]
Representative, British Office Taipei (2015–)
Chris Wood		2013 –2016
Damion Potter		2016	Acting[7]
Catherine Nettleton		2016 – 2020	[8]
Andrew Thomas Pittam		2020	Acting
John Dennis		2020 –	[9]

Deputy heads of mission

Name	Photo	Tenure	Note
Deputy Director General, British Trade and Culture Office (1993–2015)
Deborah Anne Clarke		1997-	[10][11]
Jeremy Francis Larner		1999 – 2002	[12]
Roderick Bunten		2002 – 2005	[13]
Charles Edmund Garrett		2005-2009	[14]
Margaret Tongue		2009-2013	[15]
Damion Potter		2013-2017	[16]
Deputy Representative, British Office Taipei (2015–)
Andrew Thomas Pittam		2017-2021
Thomas "Tom" Burn		2021-	[17][18]

Location

The office has been located in President International Tower (統一國際大樓) in Xinyi District since 22 January 2008.^[19] It is accessible within walking distance south of Taipei City Hall Station of the Taipei Metro.

See also

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

References

1. "House of Commons - Foreign Affairs - Minutes of Evidence". parliament.uk.
2. Taiwan Yearbook, Government Information Office, 2000, page 147
3. A Pretence of Privatisation: Taiwan's External Relations, Françoise Mengin, in Privatising the State, Béatrice Hibou, C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 2004, pages 157-158
4. East Asian Executive Reports, Volume 16, International Executive Reports, 1994
5. BTCO officially changes name to 'British Office', The China Post, May 28, 2015
6. "Change of High Commissioner to Brunei". Foreign & Commonwealth Office. 23 May 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
7. "Damion Potter, Representative, British Office Taipei". gov.uk. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
8. "Former Taiwan Foreign Minister visits the UK". Taipei Representative Office in the U.K. 2 November 2016. Archived from the original on 6 November 2016. Retrieved 2016-11-06.
9. "John Dennis, Representative, British Office Taipei". gov.uk. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
10. "Export Promotion". UK Parliament. 11 July 1997. Archived from the original on 27 June 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
11. "About BTCO". British Trade and Cultural Office (BTCO). 2 February 1998. Archived from the original on 2 February 1998. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
12. The Diplomatic Service List. Stationery Office. 2006. p. 245. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
13. The Diplomatic Service List. Stationery Office. 2004. p. 168. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
14. "British Ambassador to Kyrgyzstanː Charles Edmund Garrett OBE". Foreign & Commonwealth Office. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
15. "Margaret Tongue". British Chamber of Commerce Thailand (BCCT). Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
16. "British Ambassador to Panama: Damion Potter". Foreign & Commonwealth Office. Archived from the original on 6 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
17. "Tom Burn". Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Archived from the original on 20 July 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
18. "Mr Thomas Burn, British High Commission visits Griffith Asia Institute". Griffith University. 31 May 2013. Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
19. British Trade and Cultural Office moves to a new office, The China Post, January 29, 2008

External links

• "British Office Taipei". gov.uk.