Chang Tzi-chin (???), head of the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA), will be leading a governmental delegation to attend the 7th “Our Ocean Conference” (OCC) to be held in Palau later this week, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced Monday.
The upcoming visit marks the first time Taiwan is able to send an official delegation to the annual event committed to taking concrete and significant actions to protect the ocean, MOFA said in a press release.
Previously, Taiwan’s EPA minister participated in the OCC in a personal capacity.
The delegation will also feature senior government officials, including Deputy Foreign Minister Tien Chung-kwang (???) and Ocean Affairs Council Deputy Minister Tsai Ching-piao (???), according to MOFA.
The Coast Guard Administration and the Council of Agriculture’s Fisheries Agency will also be joining the delegation to take part in the conference hosted by the United States and Palau, Taiwan’s Pacific ally, from April 13 to 14, it added.
According to the conference’s official website, the Taiwanese delegation is listed as one of the participating “Countries/Authorities” under the name “Taiwan.”
Meanwhile, Chang is identified as the EPA minister of “the Republic of China (Taiwan)” in his biography listed on the website.
Aside from serving as the head of the delegation, Chang is also scheduled to give a keynote speech on April 14, in which he will be sharing Taiwan’s efforts in solving marine pollution, MOFA said.
According to MOFA, Palau President Surangel S. Whipps, Jr. had invited President Tsai Ing-wen (???) to visit his country and attend the OCC. Tsai later appointed Chang as her special envoy, it said.
Tsai has been on home quarantine since late Friday after a person she previously dined with later tested positive for COVID-19, according to her spokesperson.
Palau is one of Taiwan’s 14 diplomatic allies.
The theme of this year’s OCC is “Our Ocean, Our People, Our Prosperity,” which will draw on Palau’s rich tradition as an ocean society and focus on islander perspectives and approaches to ensuring the health of oceans, according to its website.
The six areas of action on which the conference will focus are as follows: marine protected areas for communities, ecosystems and climate; tackling marine pollution; confronting the ocean-climate crisis; creating sustainable blue economies; advancing sustainable small-scale fisheries and aquaculture; and achieving a safe, just and secure ocean.
This meeting was originally scheduled to take place in December 2020 in Palau but it has been postponed due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel