英國脫歐是台灣貿易契機 台經院表示樂觀

【看英文中國郵報學英文】英國將在倫敦時間今(31日)晚上十一點正式脫歐，經貿專家認為短期內對台灣經濟不會有太大的負面影響，反而可能成為台英、台歐加深貿易關係的契機。

Analysts see growing trade opportunities for Taiwan as the United Kingdom (UK) heads out of the European Union (EU) on Friday, dismissing fears of negative impact on Taiwan’s economy in the short term.

脫歐後，英國和歐盟將緊接著將進入為期十一個月的過渡期。在這段時間內，雙方計畫持續商討未來的貿易夥伴關係。

Brexit is happening at 11 p.m. (GMT), meaning that the UK will officially withdraw from the EU and enter into an 11-months transition period during which the two former partners will negotiate their future trade relationship.

台灣經濟研究院台灣歐洲研究中心主任葉基仁表示，英國脫歐會提升台灣和英國、歐盟分別簽署自由貿易協定的機會。

“This creates an opportunity for Taiwan to sign free trade agreements (FTA) with both the UK and the EU,” Yeh Chi-jen (葉基仁), director of the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research’s (TIER, 台灣經濟研究院) Taiwan European Studies Centre (台灣歐洲研究中心) told The China Post on Friday.

簽署自由貿易協定的貿易型態在美國總統川普上任後興起，大幅取代原本世界貿易組織架構下的多邊關係，形成了以雙邊和區域性合作夥伴為主的貿易結構，同時也為和台灣一樣內需市場較小的國家創造了更多發展機會。

The global economy has shifted greatly from the traditional multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization (WTO, 世界貿易組織) to more bilateral and regional trade partnerships since the United State President Donald Trump took office, Yeh said.

「放眼未來，台灣還需要密切追蹤英國和歐盟的談判結果。然而比較可以確定，英國和歐盟兩邊都會努力在全球尋找新的貿易夥伴，當然台灣也包含在內。若中國搶在台灣之前，和英國以及歐盟簽署自由貿易協定，台灣也不必過度憂心會失去簽約機會。」

While the verdict is still out regarding the outcome of the negotiations between the UK and the EU, it is expected that both entities “will race to find new partnerships with countries around the world, including Taiwan,” Yeh said.

Yeh said that Taiwan shouldn’t worry about its chances to sign an FTA with the UK or the EU once they sign one with China, which is highly anticipated to happen soon.

中研院歐美研究所副所長洪德欽表示，英國脫歐對台灣經濟影響相對小。

Echoing his point, Deputy Director Institute of European and American Studies, Academia Sinica Horng Der-chin (洪德欽) said that he thinks Brexit’s impact on Taiwan’s economy should be relatively low, and that “it is not impossible that the UK or the EU would want to sign an FTA with Taiwan.”

「政府需要更積極主動地去促進和英國、歐盟簽署自由貿易協定，因為畢竟台灣市場相對小、誘因也就相對小。」

“But the government has to push really hard for it since the market is smaller compared to many other countries hence a smaller incentive,” Horng added.

至於外界擔心台灣在英國的企業會受到影響，葉基仁解釋，許多企業早在兩三年前就已經開始調整成本，包含將公司移到其他歐盟國境內，因此預期影響不大。其中最熱門的國家包含愛爾蘭、法國、比利時、和荷蘭。

As for concerns that Taiwanese businesses in Britain will be affected by Brexit, Yeh said that “many companies have begun moving their factories or service headquarters to other locations within the EU in the past two to three years,” Yeh said, which is why the formal Brexit won’t hit hard on them. “The most popular destinations Taiwanese businesses are heading are Ireland, France, Belgium and the Netherlands,” Yeh said.

根據經濟部國貿局的年度報告，英國為我國在歐洲第3大貿易夥伴、第5大外資來源。外交部更表示將與歐盟及英國保持密切聯繫，並同意在過渡期間內，就我國與歐盟所簽訂的各項協議（定）、瞭解備忘錄及相關安排等，持續適用於英國。

UK is Taiwan’s third-largest trade partner in the European region, fifth-largest source of foreign investment, according to data compiled by the Bureau of Foreign Trade (國貿局) of the Ministry of Economic Affair’s (MOEA, 經濟部). In a statement released on Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA, 外交部) said that it has maintained close contact with the EU and Britain and that all trade agreements signed with the EU will be applicable for Britain during the transition period.

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