Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung and Environment Minister Peng Chi-ming held the second meeting on carbon rights cooperation Dec. 17 in Taipei City, highlighting the government’s commitment to promoting environmental diplomacy.
During the meeting, the ministers reviewed the achievements of the interministerial carbon rights task force this year and discussed future cooperation plans to foster climate change diplomacy. They cited a memorandum of understanding on carbon credit cooperation inked by Taiwan and Paraguay in October, expressing hope that the pact will become a model for regional collaboration.
Lin and Peng were aligned on Taiwan’s top priorities: meeting the needs of allies, demonstrating the country’s constructive role in addressing climate change and raising the global profile of its green sector. The overarching goal is to solidify partnerships and create prosperous alliances in line with President Lai Ching-te’s values-based diplomacy strategy and vision of transforming Taiwan into a global economic powerhouse, they said.
The foreign minister further noted that green transformation and sustainable development are the cornerstone of Taiwan’s prosperity, adding that the carbon rights cooperation program under the Diplomatic Allies Prosperity Project will help facilitate Taiwan’s participation in relevant international mechanisms, ensure the country meets its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050 and deepen bilateral cooperation with allies and like-minded partners. He anticipated that strengthening collaboration with allies will form a virtuous cycle of mutual learning and prosperity that will gradually expand to benefit more friendly countries.
Complementing his remarks, Peng pointed out that the 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution 3.0 approved by the Executive Yuan in November encompasses Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which provides a framework for international climate change cooperation. The Ministry of Environment has also launched a 12-part project promoting concrete cooperation between Taiwan and Paraguay in the three major areas of climate governance, circular economy and environmental governance, he added.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ministers concluded by vowing to integrate public resources and private efforts to promote a new model of green diplomacy and urged the international community to recognize Taiwan as a force for good and include the country in the global climate governance system. (YCH-E)
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