COA Minister Chen's Proposal to Set up Asia-Pacific Forest Diseases Prevention Network Adopted in Official Statement of 1st APEC Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Forestry
Attending APEC Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Forestry with Fruitful Results
Minister Wu-hsiung Chen of the Council of Agriculture (COA) attended the First APEC Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Forestry in Bejing at the head of the
Minister Chen Addresses APEC Meeting on “Strengthening Practical Cooperation for Asia-Pacific Forests to Achieve Inclusive Growth”
Minister Chen delivered a speech in English entitled “Strengthening practical cooperation for Asia-Pacific forests to achieve inclusive growth” in the morning on September 7, sharing with delegates of other APEC economies the experience of
Regarding the policy to achieve inclusive forest growth, Minister Chen explained
During the meeting Minister Chen also proposed to “establish the Asia-Pacific forest diseases prevention and quarantine network to mutually exchange information on surveillance, early warning, and prevention and cure techniques regarding cross-border forest diseases, pests and alien invasive species to prevent forest degradation.” The proposal won the support of other APEC economies and the meeting decided to adopt it in the ministerial statement. He explained that forest diseases, pests and alien species often spread with trade so APEC economies need to jointly prevent the spread, and that Taiwan has accumulated a lot of experiences in response to the threat of various forest diseases, pests and invasive species after establishing the forest diseases and pests surveillance and prevention system in 1996, and setting up Diagnosis and Information Center of Forest Diseases and Pests in 2010 and Invasive Species Reporting Center in 2011. The adoption of Minister Chen’s proposal in the ministerial statement marks the beginning of the real work, and the COA will cooperate with other APEC economies more actively to promote the surveillance and prevention of forest diseases and pests as well as provide other economies with necessary technical assistance.
Minister Chen Holds Bilateral Talks with Several Counterparts
During the APEC ministerial meeting, Minister Chen held bilateral meetings with delegations of the United States, Japan, South Korea and mainland China, exchanging opinions on a wide range of issues including forest rehabilitation, plantation management, forest carbon sinks, and forest culture. When talking with Director Jia Zhibang of mainland
Planting Trees on Badaling together with Other APEC Ministers
Under the arrangement of the APEC meeting, Minister Chen, together with representatives of other APEC economies, went to the Badaling area in