Taipei, July 29 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Thursday that plans for international forums on fishery and food security in Taipei next month are a sign that Taiwan is engaging itself more with the international community.
The International Fishers' Forum (IFF) will gather officials and scholars from 25 countries from Aug. 3-5, while the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Food Security Forum will be held in Taiwan for the first time from Aug. 18-20, according to Lily Hsu, director-general of MOFA's Department of International Organization.
The IFF will be co-hosted by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WPRFMC), a U.S. federal organization tasked with managing and implementing laws governing fishing activity, and Taiwan's Fisheries Agency under the Council of Agriculture (COA), she said at a press briefing.
As Taiwan has one of the largest fishing fleets in the world, its engagement in the international fishery community is welcomed, Hsu said, adding that the fact the WPRFMC invited Taiwan to co-host the forum shows that Taiwan's efforts in fishery conservation have been recognized.
The central objective of the IFF is to bring the fishing industry into the relatively recent dialogue of marine spatial planning and management.
Food security, a pressing issue for Taiwan, will be discussed in the APEC Food Security Forum, which is seen as a prelude for the Ministerial Meeting on Food Security to be held in October in Niigata, Japan. Chinese officials are expected to attend the meeting, she said.
A U.S.-hosted workshop on "Ease of Doing Business in the Agricultural Sector" will be held alongside the Food Security Forum. (By Chris Wang) enditem/bc