Taiwanese Envoy Expresses Readiness To Improve Trade Ties With Nigeria

VICTORIA OJUGBANA, LAGOS

Representative of Taipei Trade Office in Nigeria, Ambassador Andy Yih-Ping Liu, has pledged Taiwan’s readiness to partner with Nigeria and improve trade relations with her.

Liu, who made the pledge during a meeting with journalists and briefing on the Traditional Lunar in Lagos at the weekend, commended the trade relations between Nigeria and Taiwan, which he noted, has been on for about three decades now.

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While commending the increase in trade value between the two countries since the setting up of the Taipei Trade Mission in Nigeria, Liu said that to facilitate even more smooth trade, the new Trade Protection Investment Agreement between Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Taiwanese Trade Agency has to be renewed.

According to Ambassador Liu: “Since trading is very much like free will, investments need to have more incentives and protection. That is why the Mutual Investment Protection Agreement has to be signed so that both sides can provide a trustworthy relationship in terms of trade.

“The Federal Government should pay attention to smooth trade and facilitate investments because investments bring more concrete industrialization between the two countries. That will go side by side with actual trading. The signing of MoU between Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Taiwanese Trade Agency and the continued effort to encourage more MoU signing between Lagos Chamber Of Commerce or NACCIMA with Taiwan Trading Council has to be done.

“That is what our mission has been doing to facilitate the mutual trust between the trade agency and trading council.”

He added: “We have seen a 150 to 200 per cent increase in trade, even within Covid-19. Nigeria has shown interest in Taiwan and Taiwan has reciprocated. Trade is booming. However, Nigerian trade with Taiwan has really increased to probably two billion.”

The Taiwanese envoy noted that government to government dialogue must be encouraged, as well as the establishment of agreement on mutual trade between both nations to facilitate commerce.

Vowing to maintain Taiwan’s relations and get a better understanding with Nigeria, he said that Taiwan is always ready to bring economic development to the world.

“Taiwan is a major producer of the world’s microchip and most trustworthy supplier of computers, the Taiwanese Trade Mission believes in quality service of Nigeria,” he said.

Expressing the Taipei Mission’s interest to work together with the Nigerian government, he said: “Taiwan and Nigeria will continue to remain friends,” while calling for substantive people to people relations.

“For the actual trading, since Nigeria and Taiwan are far away from each other, with the internet, people can connect to each other’s expertise.”

The trade mission should erase the obstacles to communication by providing a government-to-government dialogue of establishing an agreement for mutual trust and mutual trading between the two countries, Liu said.