Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling attended the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation’s Ocean-Related Ministerial Meeting (AOMM) April 30 and May 1 in Busan, South Korea.
This marked the first APEC ministerial conference on oceans since the Cabinet-level OAC was established in 2018. Officials from 19 of the cooperation’s member economies jointly explored the future of the world’s oceans under climate change, the council said.
During the two-day event, Kuan and her delegation deepened Taiwan’s ties with other APEC members by joining seven bilateral talks and more than ten sideline exchanges on topics ranging from the blue economy and marine waste governance to ocean preservation and youth participation.
In keeping with the event theme of “Navigating Our Blue Future: Connection, Innovation and Prosperity,” Kuan pointed out that Taiwan’s government has incorporated artificial intelligence and big data analytics to facilitate precise predictions of coastal disasters, typhoons and other dangers. She added that the New Southbound Policy has played a key role in enhancing regional response resilience by helping Southeast Asian nations set up more than 100 smart disaster monitoring stations.
To tackle escalating natural disasters and human-caused incidents such as deliberate damage of undersea communications cables, the government has adopted technological monitoring systems to reinforce real-time responses and ensure marine safety, the minister said.
Kuan also took the opportunity to explore trends in global ecological conservation, such as Canada’s active expansion of marine protected areas. The minister spoke with her counterparts about related programs in Taiwan that have led to an emphasis on the integration of diverse values in the implementation of MPA policies, as evidenced by the substantive participation of Indigenous tribal leaders and fishers in relevant review mechanisms.
During the symposium, Kuan also met with Steven Victor, minister of agriculture, fisheries and environment for Palau to discuss marine culture and security. (POC-E)
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