§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Taiwan on the economic consequences of the earthquake that took place last year in Taiwan. [108173]
§ Mr. BattleNone. The British Trade and Cultural Office in Taipei reports regularly on economic developments. The economic consequences of last September's earthquake have been comprehensively covered in the course of that reporting.
The human cost of the earthquake was severe and tragic. The United Kingdom joined many other members of the international community in contributing to the relief effort.
Economic dislocation proved to be less grave than the Taiwan authorities initially feared. Considering the magnitude of the tremor, infrastructural damage to industrial premises was relatively light, the bulk of lost industrial output being caused by disruption in power supplies. Economic indicators show that Taiwan's economic performance has now returned to at or near its pre-September level.