The Council of Maritime Affairs is scheduled to be inaugurated in Kaohsiung on Saturday, becoming the first Cabinet-level agency in the municipality, a source said yesterday.
Premier William Lai (賴清德) is scheduled to preside over the inauguration ceremony, the source said.
The council is to be the responsible authority on the use and conservation of ocean resources, as well as research and development, it said.
Photo: Lee Hsin-fang, Taipei Times
The council would face multiple challenges, including regulating cross-border fishing, the source said.
Last year saw an increase in cross-border fishing, especially Chinese fishing boats near the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) which severely infringed upon the nation’s fishing rights and resources, the source said.
The Coast Guard Administration last month accused Chinese and Vietnamese ships of poaching more than15 tonnes of resources in the Dongsha Atoll National Park area, the source said.
Hydraulic engineering expert Hwung Hwung-hweng (黃煌煇) has been tapped to head the council, while Coast Guard Administration Director-General Lee Chung-wei (李仲威) and National Sun Yat-sen University vice president Chen Yang-yi (陳陽益) have been tapped as deputy chairmen, the source said.
Lee would continue to head the administration while serving as deputy chairman of the council, the source added.
The establishment of the council would place the use and conservation of maritime resources, as well as marine research and development, under one agency, Executive Yuan spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) said.
The council was scheduled to be inaugurated in July 2016, but it was suspended due to a difference in opinion in the legislature, the source said.
The inauguration was rescheduled for Saturday during a meeting last year presided over by former premier Lin Chuan (林全), it said.
Kaohsiung, the nation’s most important commercial and fishing port, was considered the ideal location for the council, the source said, adding that it was also a move to narrow the development gap between the north and south of the nation.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
Democratic Progressive Party caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu, front, grabs the pennant in a dragon boat race hosted by Qu Yuan Temple in the Shuanghsi River in Taipei’s Beitou District yesterday.
RSS