TAIPEI (TVBS News) — In a strategic move to bolster its international environmental credentials, Taiwan sent a high-level delegation to the third Global Sustainable Islands Summit (GSIS) held in the Caribbean nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis from May 27-29, according to a statement released Friday (June 6) by Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA, 外交部). The international forum provided Taiwan with a significant platform to highlight its ambitious plans toward becoming a carbon-neutral island nation despite its diplomatic isolation. Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) personally directed the diplomatic corps and Taiwan's embassy to work in concert with the Ministry of Environment (MOEN, 環境部), Taiwan's environmental protection agency, along with academic specialists to promote the Co-Prosperity Project (榮邦計畫), a key initiative in Taiwan's sustainability strategy.
The diplomatic significance of Taiwan's participation became evident during the summit's opening ceremony, when Saint Kitts and Nevis — one of Taiwan's 12 remaining formal diplomatic allies — specifically recognized Taiwan as an essential partner in its own sustainable development initiatives. Officials from the Caribbean nation used the international forum to advocate for enhanced cooperation between Taiwan and fellow island nations facing similar climate challenges. Taiwan's Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming (彭啓明) seized the diplomatic opportunity by delivering a prerecorded video message for the Sustainable Island State Agenda (SISA) session, in which he conveyed Taiwan's appreciation to the Saint Kitts and Nevis government for its consistent support of Taiwan's participation in international forums, where Taiwan often faces exclusion due to political pressure.
The Taiwanese presence extended beyond government representation to include prominent private sector leadership, with Stan Shih (施振榮), the founder and chairman of global technology giant Acer Inc. (宏碁), contributing a prerecorded presentation highlighting Taiwan's corporate sector advances in environmental sustainability that reportedly drew strong positive reactions from international attendees. Taiwan's academic and research institutions played equally significant roles in the proceedings, as Dean Fan Chien-te (范建得) from National Tsing Hua University's (NTHU, 清華大學) recently established College of Sustainability (永續學院) and Lien Chen-an (連振安), a lecturer from the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI, 工研院), Taiwan's premier technology research organization, delivered comprehensive presentations on governance structures and implementation strategies for island nations confronting climate challenges.
During their technical presentations, the Taiwanese experts Fan and Lien outlined Taiwan's multifaceted approach to climate resilience, which encompasses enhanced governance frameworks, accelerated digital transformation of environmental monitoring, and targeted initiatives to facilitate low-carbon economic transitions across industrial sectors. They emphasized Taiwan's eagerness to forge deeper international partnerships in emerging fields such as climate finance and carbon trading mechanisms despite its limited formal diplomatic recognition. These efforts align with the comprehensive national strategy articulated by Taiwan's National Climate Change Committee, a high-level body within the Office of the President (總統府), which has formally adopted the vision statement "Net-Zero Taiwan, Resilient Homeland" as the guiding principle for the island's ambitious plans to achieve carbon neutrality through green technology innovation and market-based carbon reduction systems. ◼