TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hopes the UK can continue to show concrete evidence of its security promises to the Indo-Pacific region by sending more Royal Navy ships through the Taiwan Strait, reports said Tuesday.

The ministry cited the recent visit to London by former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) as a sign of the positive relationship, Radio Taiwan International reported. Her invitation to visit the Houses of Parliament and speak at the House of Lords and the London School of Economics strengthened the friendship, it said.

The ministry also named the UK as the first European country to have established a systematic economic and trade framework with Taiwan, the Enhanced Trade Partnership arrangement of 2023. Taiwan will continue to cooperate with partners to face new security challenges, said ministry spokesperson Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉).

The ministry also emphasized that in Europe, the UK was the third largest source of foreign investment in Taiwan, the fourth largest trading partner, and the fifth most popular destination for Taiwanese students.