The announcement reception of the Taiwan-US Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish a Coast Guard Working Group was held on March 26th at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It was hosted by Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu(吳釗燮), accompanied by Minister of Ocean Affairs Council Lee Chung-Wei (李仲威), Deputy Minister of Ocean Affairs Council and Director-General of Coast Guard Administration(CGA) Chou Mei-Wu (周美伍) and Director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) William Brent Christensen(酈英傑).
 
Taiwan and the US officially signed the MOU to establish a Coast Guard Working Group (CGWG), writing a new chapter on Taiwan-US relationship. By cooperation in maritime law enforcement, ecological preservation, protection of fishing rights, and search & rescue at sea, both sides will contributed to keep regional peace and stability through Coast Guard cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.
 
Taiwan-US Coast Guard cooperation has reached a remarkable milestone by signing this MOU. Both parties plan a series of celebrations for this achievement. Representative of Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United State (TECRO) Bi-Khim Hsiao(蕭美琴) and Managing Director of AIT-Washington Headquarter Ingrid D. Larson signed the MOU in Washington D.C. on March 25th (EST), witnessed by Acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Sung Kim and Director of International Affairs and Foreign Policy Advisor of US Coast Guard Ann Castiglione-Cataldo.
 
This MOU will establish a platform to institutionalize a dialogue mechanism to develop training curriculums, build cooperation plans, and share information between Taiwan and the US, which also demonstrates the Taiwan-US Coast Guard exchanges have entered a new era.
 
Since the establishment of the Coast Guard Administration of the Ocean Affairs Council (CGA), it has worked closely with the US Coast Guard in terms of humanitarian aids, education and training, and protection fishing rights. The rescue mission of the commercial tuna longliner, Yong Yu Sing No. 18, joint training programs with the US, and attending international conferences are the indicators of our strong partnership.
 
This MOU is the result of systematic and institutional cooperation between Taiwan and the US. Taiwan plays an indispensable role in the US Indo-Pacific Strategy and Taiwan CGA is the corresponding agency for safeguarding Taiwan's maritime rights. Taiwan looks forward to cooperating with the United States and other corresponding competent authorities and hopes to continue deepening the Taiwan-US partnership and common interests.