Kaohsiung | Marine council to be headquartered in Kaohsiung

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Marine council to be headquartered in Kaohsiung

Source: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiw.../21/2003689725

By Lo Tien-pin and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer


The Council of Marine Affairs, to be established next month, is to be housed in Kaohsiung’s Software Technology Park, the Cabinet said.

The council, which is to oversee the offices of marine conservation and research, as well as the Coast Guard Administration, would be the first central government department in Kaohsiung.

The council is to rent the space for four years at a cost of NT$79.9 million (US$2.74 million), said a senior official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Asked whether the council would seek to purchase its own office space, the official said that while the decision would require further planning, the government would likely purchase an office building if more central government departments move to the city.

While the coast guard office would remain in Taipei, council officials, conservationists and researchers would be stationed at the Kaohsiung office, the official said, adding that the three groups would work together as a single department.

The office is to be in the building that houses Hon Hai Precision Industry Co’s research and development facilities, the official said.

The lease was signed last month and renovations are under way, the official said.

The location was chosen because the Ministry of Science and Technology has a marine technology research center in the city, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) said.

Since the responsibilities of the new council are to overlap with those of the center, the government hopes to merge the two to increase their efficiency, he added.

Meanwhile, preparations for the committee’s establishment are being handled mostly by the coast guard, although its responsibilities would go far beyond those traditionally handled by the coast guard, sources said.


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Kaohsiung 高雄 가오슝 เกาสง

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Source:http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aipl/201804100027.aspx


Ocean Affairs Council to be inaugurated in Kaohsiung April 28


2018/04/10 22:38:23

April 10 (CNA) The planned Ocean Affairs Council (OAC) under the Executive Yuan will be inaugurated April 28 in Kaohsiung, to be headed by Hwung Hwung-Hweng (黃煌煇), who currently serves as chairman of the Aviation Safety Council, Cabinet spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) said Tuesday.

Hsu also revealed that the council's two deputies will be Lee Chung-wei (李仲威), who now heads the Coast Guard Administration (CGA), and Chen Yang-yih (陳陽益), incumbent vice president of National Sun Yat-sen University.

In accordance with the Organization Act of OCA, the soon-to-be established Cabinet-level council will have three subordinate agencies -- the CGA, the Ocean Conservation Administration and the National Ocean Research Institute, Hsu said.

The main mission of the OAC will be to integrate the planning, coordination and implementation of marine-related policies, including affairs related to coast guard activities, marine conservation and marine research, according to the Organization Act.

Upon its establishment, the OCA will be the first central government agency to be headquartered in the southern port city.

(By Elaine Hou and Romulo Huang)

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Kaohsiung 高雄 가오슝 เกาสง

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Source: https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3416958

Top Taiwanese officials attend inauguration of Ocean Affairs Council

'Taiwan is an oceanic country. The ocean is coded in the DNA of Taiwanese people,' says Taiwan President

By Teng Pei-ju,Taiwan News, Staff Reporter
2018/04/28 11:43



KAOHSIUNG (Taiwan News) — Top Taiwanese officials joined together for the inauguration ceremony of the Ocean Affairs Council (OAC) Saturday morning in Kaohsiung, including President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Premier William Lai (賴清德), and Chen Chu (陳菊), former Kaohsiung mayor and current secretary-general to the Presidential Office, among others.

The council’s office is located in a building belonging to Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd. in the Kaohsiung Software Technology Park. The significance of the council’s establishment is evident with the presence of high-level Taiwanese officials from the central and local governments, as well as large crowds and reporters who peopled the district, which is usually rather quiet on weekends.

“Taiwan is an oceanic country. The ocean is coded in the DNA of Taiwanese people “ remarked President Tsai.

The president said the OAC would be an exclusive governmental institute responsible for the country’s marine affairs that were formerly managed by 22 different organizations.

“The establishment of OAC is the beginning of challenges,” said the president, adding that the council would begin tasks aimed at ameliorating marine-related policies that could benefit marine industries as well as cultivate talent in related fields.

OAC, now officially inaugurated, includes the Coast Guard Administration. It will also include an administration for marine conservation, as well as a national research institute of oceanography.

Hwung Hwung-hweng (黃煌煇), who received the imprimatur from Premier Lai as the appointed OAC minister, said the council would conduct negotiations with neighboring countries on the questions of fishing or operating in overlapping Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ).

It will provide more protection for Taiwanese fishermen who often face unfair or even illegal treatment while operating in sea, added Huang.

Finally, the minister mentioned that the council would build a data base in order to thoroughly examine the marine resources possessed by the country and to employ effective measures to protect and preserve those resources.

After the remarks, all the officials and guests moved outside the building. President Tsai and other officials watched the performance of a lion dance troupe and a traditional music group, a scene often seen at such events, before unveiling the signboard of the council.

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Source: https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3415182

Taiwan's new 'Ocean Affairs Council' to be headquartered in Kaohsiung

The Ocean Affairs Council will be the country's first cabinet level agency based outside of Taipei, and may signal Taiwan's increasing attention towards South China Sea affairs

By Duncan DeAeth,Taiwan News, Staff Writer
2018/04/26 14:51



(Taiwan News) – The government of Taiwan is preparing to establish a new cabinet-level agency to be based in the southern port city of Kaohsiung, to become the first central government agency headquartered outside of either Taipei or New Taipei City.

Premier William Lai will preside over the inauguration ceremony for the “Ocean Affairs Council”(海洋委員會) on Saturday, April 28. The council was originally scheduled to be inaugurated in July, 2016, but was delayed over disagreements among legislators.

According to Executive Yuan spokesperson Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇), the official role of the council will be to manage the use and conservation of ocean resources, as well as provide government oversight for various ocean related research and development projects.

The Taiwan Fisheries agency, which is a sub-level organization under the Council of Agriculture, is also headquartered in Kaohsiung, and will likely cooperate extensively with the new Ocean Affairs Council.

Since enforcing fishery boundaries and regulations will be a major responsibility of the new agency, the Fisheries Agency may possibly become integrated with the council at some point in the future.

The Liberty Times report cites a source saying that a respected hydraulic engineer, Hwung Hwung-hweng (黃煌煇), has been selected to be the first Minister of the Council, along with two deputy ministers including the Coast Guard’s Director General Lee Chung-wei (李仲威) and the current Vice President of National Sun Yat Sen University Chen Yan-yi (陳陽益).

The establishment of the Ocean Affairs Council in Kaohsiung signals two important developments for the government in Taiwan. The first is the milestone of having a cabinet-level agency headquartered outside of Taipei, which many see as a small step towards addressing the imbalance of political institutions disproportionately based in the north of the country.

Secondly, as an agency tasked with overseeing activity in Taiwanese territorial waters, the establishment of the council likely signals Taiwan’s intention to take a stronger role in addressing territorial disputes of the South China Sea, as Taiwan’s territories of Taiping Island, and the Pratas Reef, are both officially under the jurisdiction of the Cijin municipal government of Kaohsiung.


(Image from Google Maps)

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