Global Tech & Trade Policy Update

techUK signs MoU with CIECA

techUK signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 2 October with CIECA from Taiwan.

The Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA) is Taiwan’s chief trade association for promoting exports. CIECA works through a network of 162 organisations across 99 countries and with the Taiwanese government to promote Taiwanese exports and development.

techUK has signed the MoU as part of a commitment to deepen our relationship with Taiwan and to bring the dynamic UK and Taiwanese tech sectors closer together, especially to support their complementary strengths in areas such as semiconductors, AI and quantum technologies.

The MoU signing was witnessed by Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Cynthia Kiang and Minister for Trade Lord Sarwar, who held the 28th annual UK-Taiwan trade talks and signed the UK-Taiwan Science, Innovation and Technology Arrangement, committing BIST in the UK and Taiwan’s National Science and Technology Council to work closely together on emerging technologies.

You can read a full summary of our MoU signing, and the work we have already done with CIECA, on our website.

Party conferences – Burnham talks EU and AI while Badenoch outlines her economic vision

Westminster has embarked on its annual exodus from London as party conference season continued, with trade mentioned at several conferences.

Labour Conference saw Prime Minister Andy Burnham set the agenda for the government’s next few months, including an apparent reopening of the UK’s relationship with the EU. The Prime Minister announced that he wanted to have an open and honest debate about the UK’s future relationship with the EU as part of the EU summit, with rejoin being one of many options on the table. The PM’s attempt to build political consensus around a specific relationship with the EU may make any deal more politically durable, but it remains to be seen whether the EU will be happy with the UK’s approach to the summit.

Aside from the EU relationship, Andy Burnham also announced that he wanted the UK to use its presidency of the G20 in 2027 to push for new global safeguards on AI, which will likely build on the AI Summit in Geneva in the first half of the year. The G20 is a large forum in which to attempt to build consensus, with the potential for global impact if agreement can be reached. techUK though will be participating both in the G20 and the AI Summit, so we will bring you news of what is agreed when it is agreed.

Labour Conference was followed by Conservative Conference, where the focus was on Badenoch and the Right Way. The 100-page essay and leaders speech accompanying it were an attempt to bring the Conservatives back to a low-tax and low-spend vision of the state’s role. However, as Politico have pointed out, the Conservatives also outlined their vision for the state to bring the private sector and academia together to focus on developing key UK technological strengths, with the state playing a role in diversifying supply chains and preventing critical dependencies from becoming sources of vulnerability. This suggests the state’s role in international trade would remain activist and interventionist if the Conservatives were returned to office.

UK-EU carbon trading agreement reached

Politico reports that the UK and EU have reached an agreement on linking their carbon trading schemes in what is good news for the upcoming UK-EU summit. Carbon trading was one of three outstanding areas for agreement before the summit, alongside phytosanitary standards and a youth mobility deal. It also ensures UK businesses are not liable for the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and accompanying tax.

Details have yet to be released but looks to be a win for British and European businesses trading across the Channel and is also useful proof that agreement can be reached on key files. This latter point is likely to cheer Minister Hamish Falconer, who is in the EU this week negotiating on the Industrial Accelerator Act. The Minister is quietly confident the EU lacks the legal basis to exclude the UK as part of the IAA as it would violate the post-Brexit Trade and Co-operation Agreement. However, the CBAM agreement suggests the EU and UK can reach still agreements when needed and that such legal arguments will not be necessary to secure UK participation in the IAA and Technology Sovereignty Package.

You can read our latest report on the importance of UK-EU services trade on our website.

WTO General Council ends without agreement

The WTO’s two-day General Council meeting ended this week with no significant decisions taken, after reform proposals continued to be put forward by major parties including the US and India. There was a lack of agreement on any item, including the multilateral e-commerce moratorium.

Scotland appoints trade envoy to the UAE

Scottish Economy Minister Stephen Flynn appointed Ronnie Graham of Winston Taylor as Scottish Trade Envoy to the UAE before flying to the UAE this week to meet government ministers and business leaders as part of Scotland’s MoU with the UAE.

techUK will be taking a delegation of members to GITEX in Dubai in December. You can find out more and register to join on our website.