Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) Minister Chang Tzi-chin (張子敬) and Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr on Wednesday unveiled a commemorative sheet of stamps on the sidelines of the Our Ocean Conference in Palau.
The sheet of stamps designed by Palauan artist Charlie Gibbons is the second to be issued by Taiwan and Palau, after stamps were issued in 2018 to raise public awareness about marine conservation.
Wednesday’s stamps highlight Palauan culture and the need to preserve the ocean.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Among the guests attending a banquet to unveil the stamps were US Ambassador to Palau John Hennessey-Niland, Japanese Ambassador to Palau Akira Karasawa and Australian Ambassador to Palau Richelle Turner.
Chang is leader of a Taiwanese delegation to the 7th Our Ocean Conference in Palau, which is one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies.
It is the first time that Taiwan has been able to send an official delegation to the annual event. Previously, the Taiwanese delegation participated as a non-governmental organization, while the EPA minister attended in a personal capacity
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said this year’s conference is committed to taking concrete and significant actions to protect the oceans.
‘TAIWAN’ MYSTERY
Meanwhile, the ministry yesterday said that no reason had been given for replacing “Republic of China (Taiwan)” with “Taiwan” in Chang’s title on the conference’s Web site.
The Web site lists the Taiwanese delegation as one of the participating “Countries/Authorities” under the name “Taiwan.”
Before the opening, the conference’s Web site referred to Chang as the EPA minister of the “Republic of China (Taiwan),” but that has since been changed to “Taiwan.”
Asked at a session of the Legislative Yuan to give a reason for the change, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) did not give a direct answer.
Wu said that it was already a major improvement for Taiwan to be invited to the international conference under the name “Taiwan,” instead of “Chinese Taipei,” the designation typically used by international organizations under pressure from Beijing.
The change had nothing to do with Palau, which is just cohosting the conference, Wu added.
Ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said that the conference organizers did not inform Taiwan before making the change on the Web site.
Separately, the ministry said that Chang on Wednesday attended the conference’s opening ceremony on behalf of Taiwan and sat alongside other foreign delegation representatives in a “Foreign Delegations” section.
The conference, which took place on Wednesday and yesterday, was opened by its cohosts: the Palauan president and US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry.
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