Most people know little of marine policy and affairs, even though standards have long been practiced internationally. The content and scope of marine affairs in the international community can be gleaned from the Oceans and the Law of the Sea report put forward annually by the UN Secretary General to the General Assembly. In these reports, key topics include: the international development of the law of the sea and the opinions of different countries, sea transportation and safety, marine resources, marine environment, marine science and technology, and international cooperation and coordination, among other topics.
Some argue that the establishment of a marine commission is unnecessary, as the field is relatively new and there is a lack of professionals both within academia and without. This argument is far from the truth. Taiwan is a sea-bound country with a long and intimate relationship with marine affairs.
In terms of fishing, shipping, shipbuilding, navigation, port affairs, traditional marine industries, marine environmental protection, scientific research and energy exploration, Taiwan has an abundance of professionals. The importance of the ocean to Taiwan is far beyond being a mere environmental resource or tourism resource as some may suggest. In order to better control, conserve, and utilize the ocean, many Taiwanese professionals have silently made their contributions. For instance, faced with the several large oil contamination incidents and their aftermath, or the negotiation to enter fishing organizations or enforcing restrictions on fishing areas bound by cross government conventions, Taiwan would not have survived without the efforts of these specialists.
Currently, marine affairs are spread out among various bodies within Taiwan. However, various fields within marine affairs are strongly interrelated. Furthermore, the management of marine affairs often extends beyond the jurisdictions of a single nation. Hence the establishment of a government body responsible for marine affairs could integrate dispersed fields. Such a body would not only concentrate authority but would enforce the formation of marine policy and benefit the energy of the country's marine authority.
As for the integration of the Coast Guard Administration within the marine commission: aside from ensuring national maritime security, the Coast Guards' duties include maintaining marine traffic, sea rescues, first aid in disasters and patrolling and protecting fisheries, maintaining fishing resources, environmental protection, conservation, and others -- a broad field. If we could follow the examples of Canada and South Korea and integrate the Coast Guard into the marine department, then the marine policymaking body would have executive force at the same time. This would allow direct implementation of policies, and eliminate the previous problem of miscommunication between various organizations and the resulting inefficiency when marine related issues occur.
If a marine department were established to deal with marine affairs, the control of the seas would be improved. Under the current political climate, the establishment of a marine department, as hoped for by the marine industry and academia, may be better than a marine commission.
Raymond Chen is a student at National Cheng Kong University's Institute of Ocean Technology and Marine Affairs
Translated by Angela Hong
Taiwan is rapidly accelerating toward becoming a “super-aged society” — moving at one of the fastest rates globally — with the proportion of elderly people in the population sharply rising. While the demographic shift of “fewer births than deaths” is no longer an anomaly, the nation’s legal framework and social customs appear stuck in the last century. Without adjustments, incidents like last month’s viral kicking incident on the Taipei MRT involving a 73-year-old woman would continue to proliferate, sowing seeds of generational distrust and conflict. The Senior Citizens Welfare Act (老人福利法), originally enacted in 1980 and revised multiple times, positions older
Taiwan’s business-friendly environment and science parks designed to foster technology industries are the key elements of the nation’s winning chip formula, inspiring the US and other countries to try to replicate it. Representatives from US business groups — such as the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, and the Arizona-Taiwan Trade and Investment Office — in July visited the Hsinchu Science Park (新竹科學園區), home to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC) headquarters and its first fab. They showed great interest in creating similar science parks, with aims to build an extensive semiconductor chain suitable for the US, with chip designing, packaging and manufacturing. The
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has its chairperson election tomorrow. Although the party has long positioned itself as “China friendly,” the election is overshadowed by “an overwhelming wave of Chinese intervention.” The six candidates vying for the chair are former Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), former lawmaker Cheng Li-wen (鄭麗文), Legislator Luo Chih-chiang (羅智強), Sun Yat-sen School president Chang Ya-chung (張亞中), former National Assembly representative Tsai Chih-hong (蔡志弘) and former Changhua County comissioner Zhuo Bo-yuan (卓伯源). While Cheng and Hau are front-runners in different surveys, Hau has complained of an online defamation campaign against him coming from accounts with foreign IP addresses,
When Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) announced the implementation of a new “quiet carriage” policy across all train cars on Sept. 22, I — a classroom teacher who frequently takes the high-speed rail — was filled with anticipation. The days of passengers videoconferencing as if there were no one else on the train, playing videos at full volume or speaking loudly without regard for others finally seemed numbered. However, this battle for silence was lost after less than one month. Faced with emotional guilt from infants and anxious parents, THSRC caved and retreated. However, official high-speed rail data have long
RSS