Taiwan helping diplomatic allies with ICT expertise

Taipei, Sept. 7 (CNA) Taiwan is helping its Central American and Caribbean allies using its best-known expertise -- information communication technology (ICT) -- with the goal of boosting their e-commerce economies, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) official said Tuesday.

The National ICT Center of Belize, which officially opened Aug. 27 in Belmopan, Belize, marked Taiwan's latest effort in helping its four Caribbean allies promote "information societies, " said Valentino Ji Zen Tang, deputy secretary-general of the International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF).

The ICDF is the principal body overseeing Taiwan's cooperative development programs abroad.

The ICT technical cooperation project was launched in 2005 as part of a three-phase initiative to reduce the "digital divide, " develop systems of e-government and develop e-commerce economy, Tang said.

The construction began in May 2009 following a groundbreaking ceremony attended by both President Ma Ying-jeou and Belizean Prime Minister Dean Barrow.

In return, Tang said, the projects in Central America and the Caribbean will bring business opportunities for Taiwan's hardware and software industries.

Design concepts for the centers were eco-friendly, he said, adding that the ICT center in Saint Kitts and Nevis operates by solar energy.

In Central America, Taiwan has been helping Guatemala develop an e-commerce website that integrates tourism information, online booking and reservations, and an online payment mechanism.

"The project aims to help Guatemala, which arguably attracts the most tourists with the richest tourism resources in Central America, to boost its local economy as its tourism industry will be able to receive direct payments rather than remittances from brokers in North America," Tang said.

Taiwan is also planning to duplicate its success in the community empowerment program and One Town One Product (OTOP) program on foreign soil to help less developed areas in its Central American allies stimulate their economies, Tang said.

Taiwan, which has previously been accused of "checkbook diplomacy, " is attempting a more pragmatic approach, according to the MOFA. The country's projects in Central America and the Caribbean serve as an example of the new policy, the ministry said. (By Chris Wang) enditem/bc

Students experience diplomacy first-hand on Guatemalan trip

Taipei, Nov. 27 (CNA) Accusations and rumors that Taiwan is involved in "checkbook diplomacy" are incorrect, as Taiwan has been engaging in "down-to-earth diplomacy" with its allies, a group of students who recently completed a visit to Guatemala said Tuesday.

"After witnessing all of our cooperative projects there, now I understand the hard work Taiwanese diplomats and staff have done on foreign soil. They deserved more support from the people of Taiwan, " said Hsu Jen-he, one of six university and graduate school students who visited Taiwan's Central American ally Guatemala Sept. 22-30 after winning a blogging competition.

The trip was sponsored by the International Cooperation Development Fund (TaiwanICDF), the principal body overseeing Taiwan's cooperative overseas development programs with the purpose of strengthening international cooperation and enhancing foreign relations by promoting the economic and social development of partner nations.

The students, comprised of two teams named "Anti-Blase" and "Simply Love Taiwan, " participated in Taiwan's various programs in Guatemala, including growing papayas and cultivating Tilapia, and writing about daily life in their blogs. They also visited Taiwanese diplomats and agriculture experts based in the capital, Antigua.

"The aquaculture industry, especially the cultivation of Tilapia, is important for Guatemalans because some of them had been suffering from protein malnutrition, " said Hsieh Chung-an, a National Chung Cheng University student.

They were also surprised at local people's friendliness towards visitors and their understanding of Taiwan. Most of the Guatemalans, especially young people, have heard about Taiwan and would like to further their studies in Taiwan, said Hsieh Ya-shu, a graduate student at National Chung Cheng University.

"The trip definitely changed my earlier understanding about this Central American country and the situation of Taiwan's foreign diplomatic work, " she said, adding that she was considering working for ICDF as a volunteer after graduation and would love to visit Guatemala again.

For years, Taiwan has been trying to work with countries in need through various cooperative programs and via various channels rather than simply offering funding help, said ICDF Secretary-General Dickens Chen.

"Taiwan has sent numerous volunteers, civilian substitute servicemen, medical and agriculture delegations abroad to help foreign countries. It was not easy for Taiwan to turn itself from a country in need of aid, in the 1950s, into a country that capable of offering aid, " Chen said.

The program tries to offer young people first-hand experience of Taiwan's diplomacy and a global perspective. It is a relatively smaller program with a budget of a couple millions dollars, but it will help young people and Taiwan's diplomatic efforts in the long run, Chen said.

Taiwan youths to leave for Guatemalan international program

Taipei, Sept. 20 (CNA) Six university and graduate school students, winners of a blogging competition organized by the Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF), will leave for Guatemala for a week-long tour to experience first-hand Taiwan's international cooperation program, ICDF announced Thursday.

Two groups of three students each will visit Guatemala from Sept. 22-30 to participate in Taiwan's cooperative programs -- which includes, among other things, growing papayas -- and write about their daily experience in their blogs, said Chou Yen-shih, ICDF's Director of Policy and Planning Department.

"Taiwan was aided by other countries during the 1950s to 1960s, and now is the time for Taiwan to make a contribution to the international community, especially to developing countries, " said Hsu Jen-he, a political major at National Chung Cheng University.

Hsu said he and his mates will go to Guatemala with "L.O.V.E." in mind -- learning, organization, volunteering and education. They will try to watch, learn and absorb every detail of an international cooperative program and help promote Taiwan's image.

The week-long program, which is being held for the first time, aims at promoting Taiwanese citizens' understanding of international cooperation and development, and encouraging the participation of the younger generation, Chou said.

The Taiwan ICDF's purpose is to strengthen international cooperation and enhance foreign relations by promoting economic development, social progress and the welfare of the people of partner nations around the world. It is now the principal body overseeing Taiwan's cooperative overseas development programs.