Taipei, Sept. 22 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen said Friday that Taiwan is hoping to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) or bilateral investment agreement (BIA) with the United Kingdom to create more business opportunities for both sides.

Raising the issue during a meeting with a British parliamentary delegation led by Nigel Evans, Tsai said the U.K. government has emphasized many times that Britain will build new trade relations with the world after its exit from the European Union.

With Taiwan and Britain having maintained mutually beneficial trade ties for a long time, a bilateral FTA or BIA will produce more business opportunities for both sides, she said, urging the visiting parliamentarians to support the signing of such agreements.

She noted that Evans, chair of the British Taiwanese All-Party Parliamentary Group, is a good friend of Taiwan and long-term supporter. This is his sixth visit to Taiwan.

The president said there have been several visits between Taiwan and Britain by politicians from the two sides since the start of the year, and mechanisms for dialogue such as the annual Taiwan-U.K. Economic and Trade Consultation Conference are also operating smoothly.

Taiwan hopes to further expand these mechanisms with the U.K. to enhance exchanges at the deputy minister level, she said.