Taiwan Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling delivered the keynote address via pre-recorded video at the International Conference on Maritime Route Security held in Taipei City.
Jointly organized by the OAC and National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYU) in Kaohsiung, the one-day event featured academics and experts from countries including Australia, India, Japan, Korea of the South, Vietnam, the Philippines, the United Kingdom and the United States.
In her opening speech, OAC Minister Kuan Bi-ling stated that maritime security is essential not only for the future of Taiwan, but also for the stable development of the world economy. The Council will continue to promote relevant technological collaboration and strengthen international exchanges, said Kuan.
Kuan commented that Taiwan is dedicated to safeguarding regional peace, a priority shared by other Indo-Pacific countries. For her part, the Taiwanese minister urged the international community, especially leaders in science and technology, to collaborate with Taiwan to build a safer marine environment.
Also speaking during the event was Gregory B. Poling, director of the Southeast Asia Program and the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), based in Washington, DC. He highlighted that Taiwan occupies a fundamental geostrategic position, and that its Government plays an essential role in strengthening maritime technological cooperation with neighboring nations. According to Poling, to facilitate the exchange of information on the regional maritime domain, it is crucial to develop low-orbit satellite systems and deepen partnerships with countries in the region.
After his speech, Kuo Yu-jen, moderator of the session and dean of the Institute of China and Asia-Pacific Studies at NSYU, proposed a transparency initiative. The proposal suggests that the international community develop an open platform to share information on unregistered vessels and jointly strengthen surveillance of illegal and gray zone operations.
According to the OAC, CSIS, the Australian National Center for Ocean Resources and Security, Korea University and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation’s Ocean Policy Research Institute were some of the prominent institutions participating in the event.
