High school 'diplomats' set for friendship trip to Australia, NZ

Taipei, Jan. 24 (CNA) The annual Teen Diplomatic Envoy program will soon send selected Taiwanese high school students on an 11-day friendship tour of Australia and New Zealand, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced Wednesday.

Speaking at a press event to announce this year's envoys, Deputy Foreign Minister Kelly Hsieh (謝武樵) congratulated the selected high school students for their hard work during the three-month selection process that began in November 2023.

The 12 envoys from three high schools being sent to Oceania were chosen from among 70 high schools around Taiwan that submitted applications for teams of four to participate.

The three teams of four were eventually selected from Tainan's Chang Jung Senior High School, Taipei Fuhsing Private School, and Taipei Wego Private Senior High School.

Now in its 20th year, the program is aimed at helping the envoys broaden their international outlook and improve their proficiency in English, Hsieh said.

Since the program was first launched in 2002, it has been held annually except for 2021, 2022 and 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jointly organized by MOFA and the Ministry of Education (MOE), the program has drawn applications from 2,500 high schools since its inception, Hsieh said.

This year, the 12 envoys will be visiting Sydney in Australia and Wellington and Auckland in New Zealand for 11 days from Jan. 28 to Feb. 7, he said.

Speaking at the same press event, Daniel Stuart, deputy Australian representative to Taiwan, said he was happy to see that the Taiwanese teen diplomats will be visiting his hometown of Sydney, which he personally felt is the most beautiful city in the world.

Stuart said youth exchanges have always been the foundation for Australia-Taiwan relations, and he believed the trip will allow all participants to not only practice English but also increase their international awareness.