The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Facebook’s Taiwan office jointly staged a digital diplomacy workshop Dec. 8 in Taipei City as the government ramps up efforts to promote the country through social media.
Held at the MOFA’s Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs, the half-day event involved ministry staffers and members of embassies and representative offices from 17 countries and organizations including Canada, Eswatini, Honduras, Japan, New Zealand, Palau, St. Lucia, the European Union and the U.S.
In his opening remarks, MOFA Deputy Minister Tien Chung-kwang paid tribute to the hard work of Taiwan’s front-line medical workers in managing the COVID-19 pandemic, without which a face-to-face meeting could not be possible. Most diplomatic work this year has been conducted virtually, underscoring the importance of digital media, he added.
Also on hand was Volkan C.Y. Huang, deputy director-general of the MOFA’s Department of International Information Services, who outlined the ministry’s digital diplomacy strategy including the Taiwan Can Help campaign. Other panels during the event examined how Facebook is being utilized to promote public policies and international exchanges.
It was the second such workshop jointly organized with the California-headquartered tech giant since the inaugural event last year, the MOFA said, adding the ministry will continue seeking opportunities for exchanges with civil society as it promotes Taiwan’s diplomatic work.
Facebook has increased its presence in Taiwan in recent years, including with the launch of its Made by Taiwan 2020 initiative. The project pledges investment from the company to help facilitate digital transformation in the public and private sectors, according to Facebook.