Ireland–Taiwan relations

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Wikipedia

Ireland–Taiwan relations
Map indicating locations of Ireland and Taiwan

Ireland
Taiwan
Diplomatic mission
Taipei Representative Office in Ireland

Ireland–Taiwan relations refers to the bilateral relations between Ireland (officially the Republic of Ireland) and Taiwan (officially the Republic of China). While Ireland does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, the two countries have developed substantial economic, cultural, academic, and parliamentary ties.

History

A representative office of Taiwan, the Taipei Representative Office in Ireland, was established in Dublin in 1988 to facilitate trade, cultural, and people-to-people links. [1]

Ireland’s Institute for Trade and Investment in Taipei operated from 1989 until its closure in 2012 for budgetary reasons.[2]

  • The Taipei Representative Office in Ireland in Dublin functions as Taiwan’s de facto representative in Ireland, engaging in trade, cultural, academic, science & technology, and consular-style services. [3]
  • Ireland has no formal diplomatic recognition of Taiwan, adhering to the One-China Policy and recognizing the People’s Republic of China as the government of “China”, as clarified in parliamentary statements.[4]

Economic relations

In 2022, the total bilateral trade between Ireland and Taiwan was approximately €4.6 billion, ranking Ireland Taiwan's 8th largest trading partner among EU members. Ireland exported goods and services worth around €2.2 billion to Taiwan, and imported about €2.4 billion from Taiwan.[1]

Enterprise Ireland (the Irish trade promotion agency) reports that client exports to Taiwan in 2022 amounted to about €37.5 million, equally split between food and non-food exports.[1]

As of December 2023, Irish companies had made 80 investments in Taiwan, totaling US$260.19 million. The main sectors attracting Irish investment were wholesale and retail trade, electronic component manufacturing, and consulting services. In the same period, Taiwanese firms carried out five investment projects in Ireland, with a combined value of US$70.93 million, primarily in the manufacturing of electronic parts and components and in maritime transport.[5]

Political and parliamentary exchanges

  • In December 2021, the Irish Senate (Seanad Éireann) passed a resolution urging the government to deepen relations with Taiwan and to speak out against China's possible use of force toward Taiwan.[6]
  • A cross-party parliamentary delegation from the Oireachtas visited Taiwan in July 2025, meeting Taiwanese officials to discuss cooperation in semiconductors, information technology, software, and biomedicine.[7]
  • A motion was passed by the Seanad in support of Taiwan’s freedoms and liberties and condemning human rights abuses by the People’s Republic of China.[8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Written Answers Nos. 399-419 – Houses of the Oireachtas". Oireachtas. 17 January 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  2. ↑ "Taiwan official urges Ireland to reopen representative office in Taipei amid 'new EU relationship'". The Journal. 6 November 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  3. ↑ "Basic HTML Version ‐ 愛爾蘭 ‐ 投資台灣門戶網站". Invest Taiwan. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  4. ↑ "Irish Taiwan policy 'unchanged' despite Chinese reports". RTÉ News. 17 January 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  5. ↑ "Taiwan-Ireland Economic Relations". International Trade Administration (Taiwan). 22 August 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  6. ↑ "Irish Senate passes resolution seeking better ties, protesting China aggression". Taipei Times. 3 December 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  7. ↑ "Lai meets Irish delegation to discuss stronger ties - Taipei Times". Taipei Times. 23 July 2025. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  8. ↑ McHugh, Connell (3 January 2024). "Seanad backs Taiwan and objects to China's actions". The Irish Post. Retrieved 12 September 2025.