By Eryk Michael Smith. Photos by the author.
KAOHSIUNG — Alongside National Ocean Day festivities on Sunday, which featured ship tours, stage shows, and exhibits, came a blunt political message: Taiwan needs to look out to sea, not only across the Strait.
The seventh National Ocean Day (國家海洋日), organized by the Ocean Affairs Council (海洋委員會), was held at Piers 16 and 17, with the 4,000-ton Coast Guard vessel Yunlin (雲林艦) opening to the public for the first time. Long lines formed as visitors waited to board.
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), speaking alongside Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲), said the event was the first National Ocean Day since the Marine Conservation Act took effect. He thanked Coast Guard personnel, academics, and conservation groups for their work protecting Taiwan’s waters.
Cho also said the Coast Guard would play a bigger role in anti-drug work, as the Executive Yuan prepares a central command group to fight organized crime and drug trafficking.
But the larger theme was Taiwan’s maritime future. Cho said Taiwan’s technology sector and position in the Indo-Pacific have made it central to regional stability, adding that the country now has the confidence to “look at the world from Taiwan.”
Taiwan, he said, should face the Pacific and the wider world rather than remain locked in a China-centered view.
