Matt Carthy
Question:411. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his proposals to develop the trading relationship between Ireland and Taiwan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56384/23]
View answerWednesday, 17 January 2024
Questions (411)
Written answers
Ireland, along with our EU partners, adheres to the One China Policy. This means that we do not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan and that we recognise the People's Republic of China as the legal representative of China. This does not preclude the development of economic, cultural, and people-to-people connections with Taiwan; nor the meaningful participation of Taiwan in relevant multilateral fora.
The European Union is represented in Taiwan by the European Economic and Trade Office, which seeks to strengthen economic and trade relations with Taiwan. There has been a Taipei Representative Office in Dublin since 1988.
The Central Statistics Office compiles statistical data in relation to goods exports and imports. According to CSO data, the total value of Ireland’s trade with Taiwan in 2022 was €4.6bn, which was a 322% increase in the 10 years since 2012. In 2022, the total value of exports from Ireland to Taiwan was €2.2bn and the total value of our imports from Taiwan was €2.4bn.
The Department and its agencies are continuing to work together both to attract inward investment and to assist Irish companies to access new opportunities in overseas markets, including Taiwan.
IDA Ireland, the agency responsible for attracting foreign direct investment to Ireland, actively manages the Taiwanese market from its Singapore office. In response to continuing trends identifying Singapore as the primary source of outbound FDI destined for Europe, IDA Ireland considers it prudent to maintain its market presence in Singapore.
Taiwan, accounted for €37.5m of total Enterprise Ireland client exports in 2022. This represents 4% of total client exports to China. The €37.5m of EI client exports is made up of 50% food and 50% non-food exports. Marketplace services for Irish companies targeting Taiwan are provided through Enterprise Ireland’s office in Hong Kong and locally in Taipei via consultancy/pathfinder engagements which are managed by the Enterprise Ireland Hong Kong office.