Taiwan's Edinburgh Office Director Ting Chih-hua Urges Democratic Alliance in Scottish Newspaper Op-Ed

Scotland's newspaper 'The National' published an op-ed on the 4th by Director Ting Chih-hua of the Taipei Representative Office in Edinburgh. Director Ting stated that both Scotland and Taiwan are models of freedom and democracy, and he looks forward to Taiwan and Scotland cooperating to build an economic and technology alliance based on 'democracy'.

The op-ed also mentioned that in the UK local elections held in early May this year, a candidate of Taiwanese origin was elected as a member of the Scottish Parliament for the first time.

Newly elected Scottish Parliament member Pamela Chou, who is of Taiwanese origin, told CNA in an exclusive interview in May that she intends to promote closer exchanges and cooperation between Taiwan and Scotland in areas such as trade, technology, energy, education, culture, and the arts.

In the op-ed, Director Ting pointed out that Taiwan's democratic achievements are highly recognized internationally. In the annual Global Democracy Index ranking released in April by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), Taiwan ranked 15th out of 167 countries. Additionally, according to the annual Global Democracy Report released in March by the V-Dem Institute at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, Taiwan ranked 29th out of 179 countries.

Taiwan is making multi-pronged efforts to defend its hard-won democratic achievements. Director Ting wrote that to achieve this goal, Taiwan is planning and implementing international development aid programs, strengthening national defense on multiple fronts, and developing 'Total Diplomacy'.

Taiwan's democratic achievements complement its economic and technological accomplishments. Director Ting cited World Trade Organization (WTO) data showing that Taiwan's total export value in 2025 is estimated at US$640 billion (approximately £470 billion), ranking 12th in the world.

Director Ting noted that Taiwan has a world-renowned semiconductor industry; for example, TSMC produces over 70% of the world's semiconductors. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan continued to shoulder its responsibility for the global semiconductor supply chain, striving to ensure supply chain stability, demonstrating the strong collective will of the Taiwanese people in the face of crisis.

Taiwan began developing its semiconductor industry in the 1970s. Furthermore, Taiwan established its first science park in 1980, and there are now a total of three science parks in Taiwan.

Director Ting stated that Scotland and Taiwan are models of freedom and democracy located in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, respectively. The people of both places are warm and friendly, respect multiculturalism, and value gender equality. Taiwan looks forward to cooperating with Scotland to build an economic and technology alliance based on 'democracy'.