NPUST has received a grant from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to put on a third offering of its one-semester New Southbound Elite Study Program under the theme of smart agriculture & fisheries and ecological sustainability. NPUST’s president, Chin-Lung Chang, members of the Office of International Affairs, and students of the special program travelled to Taipei on September 13 (2024) to participate in an opening ceremony which was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters. A total of five universities are involved in this year’s special program, including National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, National Chung Hsing University, Taipei Medical University, National Kinmen University and National Taipei University of Technology. Dispersed among these five partnering institutions are a total of 105 students from 12 countries included in Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy. Representatives to Taiwan from six of the countries including Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, India and New Zealand participated the ceremony together with representatives of the Executive Yuan Office of Trade Negotiations and the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation.
Minister Lin Chia-lung said in his speech that since the Ministry of Foreign Affairs first launched the special class with top domestic universities in 2022, it cultivated 117 students from New Southbound Policy countries. Minister Lin thanked the representatives of the schools and the foreign representatives for their support and assistance on the project. He also pointed out that since Taiwan created the New Southbound Policy eight years ago, it has been able to successfully diversify its trade while also significantly increasing people-to-people exchanges among New Southbound countries, and currently more than 60% of the foreign students studying in domestic universities in Taiwan come from these countries. Moving forward, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to promote value diplomacy, alliance diplomacy and economic & trade diplomacy under its concept of “integrated diplomacy”, and it will implement a “Digital New Southbound” strategy so that Taiwan can act as a driving force for economic resilience among democratic countries in the Indo-Pacific region.
In his speech, NPUST President Chin-Lung Chang thanked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for providing the subsidies, and stated that NPUST was honored to participate in the special program for the second year. He also welcomed the participating students from New Southbound countries to Taiwan and thanked all the overseas representatives for their efforts in helping the class run smoothly. NPUST’s president added that “this November will be our school’s centenary anniversary, and students will have the opportunity to participate in a series of celebratory activities which I believe will leave a deep impression on them. And looking forward, I hope that everyone will be able take with them rich knowledge and skills in agriculture and animal husbandry when they leave Taiwan, as well as many great memories”.
NPUST has achieved outstanding results in R&D and international exchange in the field of agriculture. Recognized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its effectiveness, it was invited again this year to participate in the program and help create new opportunities expand interaction with elites from new southbound countries. A total of 30 students enrolled in this semester’s class, including 15 students from Thailand, 10 from Indonesia and the rest coming from Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia and India. The students will take 4-6 credits in professional agricultural-related courses (such as sustainable agriculture, animal feeding and management, aquaculture, food processing, plant industry management, and animal vaccines). Expectations are that after a receiving training for one semester, the students will be able to improve their Chinese language skills and add to their professional knowledge in agriculture. Additionally, as they take in Taiwan’s beautiful scenery an experience its rich culture, they will be able to develop a better understanding of Taiwan’s vibrant civil society, democratic lifestyle, and respect for freedom, so that hopefully they will be inspired to return to NPUST for future studies.
