Taiwan youth envoys set off on Southeast Asia tour

2019/01/23

A group of 12 students selected as this year’s Teen Diplomatic Envoys departed for Vietnam and the Philippines Jan. 22 on an 11-day tour as part of government efforts to foster people-to-people exchanges with countries in Southeast Asia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
 
 According to MOFA Spokesman Andrew H. C. Lee, the initiative is part of efforts to advance the government’s New Southbound Policy by strengthening ties and building lasting connections between Taiwan youths and their counterparts in NSP target countries. The program is also a great opportunity for local students with ambitions of becoming career diplomats and an important talent cultivation platform, he added.
 
 This year’s envoys hail from Taoyuan Municipal Wu-Ling Senior High School in northern Taiwan, Ching Cheng High School in the central county of Changhua and Deguang Catholic Senior High School in the southern city of Tainan, the MOFA said.
 
 They will visit Hanoi Jan. 22-26, Ho Chi Minh City Jan. 26-29 and Manila Jan. 29-Feb. 1. During their stay, the delegates will call on cultural facilities, government agencies and nongovernmental organizations, take part in discussions with their peers and visit Taiwan businesses operating in the two countries.
 
 Since its inception in 2002, the MOFA program has sent 50 plus groups comprising more than 200 students across the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania.
 
 A key plank in President Tsai Ing-wen’s national development strategy, the NSP is enhancing Taiwan’s agricultural, business, cultural, education, tourism and trade ties with the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states, six South Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)