On September 24 (2024), the NPUST Department of Tropical Agriculture and International Cooperation invited Secretary-General Charles C. Li of the Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Foundation (TaiwanICDF) to visit the school and give a talk at the International College. In his lecture, Secretary-General Li, who has more than 40 years of diplomatic experience, spoke on the topic of “international cooperation and assistance from the perspective of a foreign diplomat”. Li was given a warm welcome by International College dean Jik-Chang Leong, Department of Tropical Agriculture Director Rebecca Chung, Professor Yan-Der Hsuuw, Professor Tsair-Bor Yen, Professor Albert Linton Charles, and many students from the college.
Secretary-General Charles C. Li has served as ambassador to St. Lucia and Indonesia, and has also worked in other capacities at foreign embassies and ministries in many other countries. With rich experience in international cooperation, Li’s lecture offered deep insight into Taiwan’s role in international cooperation and assistance, with real-world cases that gave his audience a picture of Taiwan’s international positioning and its conception of peaceful coexistence. Li also pointed out that Taiwan’s international assistance programs are not limited to allied countries, but also include other countries which are friendly towards Taiwan. Their aim, he explained, is to share Taiwan’s strengths, and implement a philosophy of “using local for the local”. This is how they are working to achieve their vision of “helping partners to advance and practicing sustainable development”. He emphasized that Taiwan has always been a friendly country and is willing to establish ties with countries around the world.
Though the main target audience of the lecture was NPUST’s Taiwanese students, it attracted international students from all over the world, including St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Christopher, Belize, Guatemala, Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, Vietnam, India, Philippines, Thailand, Somaliland, Pakistan, Uganda, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Haiti. Recognizing the value of having a good understanding of the ways in which Taiwan exerts its influence in the world, the students seized upon the rare opportunity to ask questions and take part in an in-depth conversation with Secretary-General Li.
The atmosphere at the lecture was lively, and Secretary-General Li’s humor and enthusiasm were well received as he shared many practical insights and answered the students’ questions. Although the time was limited, it was an excellent display of enthusiasm towards international cooperation and the shared desire for more exchange activities in the future. NPUST established a cooperative relationship with TaiwanICDF in 1998, and since then, has cultivated more than 300 outstanding professionals from countries around the world in the areas of agriculture, fisheries, and animal husbandry. The first TaiwanICDF doctoral program awardee, Dr. Albert Linton Charles, even went on to become a professor in the NPUST Department of Tropical Agriculture. The close friendship shared by NPUST and TaiwanICDF not only benefits allied and friendly countries, but helps promote Taiwan’s brand on the international stage.
Expressing gratitude to Secretary-General Li for his wonderful speech, the organizers of the event hope that it has inspired students, and will help give them new ideas about how to find their ideal career in the future.
