PR-2106
March 26, 2021
AIT and TECRO Sign MOU to establish a Coast Guard Working Group
Arlington, VA. – On March 25, 2021, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a Coast Guard Working Group (CGWG). This new forum will improve communications, build cooperation, and share information between AIT and TECRO through their respective Designated Representatives, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) and Taiwan Coast Guard. Additionally, this MOU affirms a relationship with the common objectives of preserving maritime resources; reducing illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing; and participating in joint maritime search and rescue as well as maritime environmental response events. AIT Managing Director Ingrid Larson and TECRO Representative Bi-khim Hsiao signed the MOU, joined by the Department of State’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Acting Assistant Secretary Sung Kim and USCG’s Director of International Affairs Ann Castiglione-Cataldo.
This MOU builds on the strong people-to-people ties shared by the United States and Taiwan. The United States supports Taiwan’s meaningful participation and contributions to issues of global concern, including in maritime security and safety, and in building networks to facilitate maritime law enforcement information exchange and international cooperation. Since the signing of the Taiwan Relations Act in 1979, AIT and TECRO have worked to encourage deeper cooperation between our two societies, and today’s MOU is the latest reflection of these efforts.
For more information, please contact EAP-Press@state.gov.