Misshapen and unsightly vegetables are being saved from the trash heap in Taiwan by food banks and environmentally conscious restaurateurs. Food banks, restaurants and retailers are teaming up to recycle produce, eliminate waste and help those in need.

Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) held “2019 APEC IncluNext Week” with the themes of “Inclusive Growth” and “Next-Generation Innovation”, consisting of “APEC Local Innovation Ecosystem Forum” and “APEC SME O2O Summit”, from June 24 to 27 at the Cathay Financial Conference Hall in Taipei.

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Local Innovation Ecosystem Forum concluded June 25 in Taipei City, boosting exchanges among member economies on new approaches to urban-rural development.

In light of the unbalanced development between local and urban area, slow development of local industries in the APEC region, and echoing APEC 2019 theme “Connecting People, Building the Future” and the priority “Women, SMEs and Inclusive Growth”, Small and Medium Enterprise Administration (SMEA), Ministry of Economic Affairs proposed the “APEC Local Innovation Ecosystem Initiative: Revitalization for Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Future” with partner economies the Philippines, Russia,

Combating the new psychoactive substances (NPS) and illegal drugs to protect public health is an ultimate goal for all countries , and the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA), in the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW), has been successfully granted by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance(SCSC) to be coordinate and host 2019 APEC International Workshop on Food Safety and Threat from New Psychoactive Substances.

The International Workshop on Climate Prediction wrapped up June 4 in Taipei City, deepening regional collaboration on advances in weather forecasting models.

On the morning of May 27, President Tsai Ing-wen met with Luis Galarreta, Chairman of the Congress of the Republic of Peru's Committee on Foreign Affairs, and his wife. The president thanked Peru for speaking up for Taiwan's participation in the World Health Assembly (WHA), and expressed hope that Taiwan and Peru can build on their current relationship to develop closer commercial ties, and facilitate even more cooperation in international affairs.

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference on smart health care for noncommunicable diseases wrapped up May 1 in Taipei City, strengthening regional collaboration in using information and communication technology to tackle major public health threats.

In order to sustain the momentum of digital innovation in APEC, and to echo the APEC theme 2019, “Connecting People, Building the Future”, as well as the priorities, such as Digital Society, SMEs and Inclusive Growth, Small and Medium Enterprise Administration, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Chinese Taipei work hand-in-hand with SME Corporation Malaysia to co-host “APEC O2O Forum: Empowering SMEs to Go Global through Digital Transformation” on 17 April in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Taiwan’s foreign policy in 2018 strengthened relations with key partners, defended the country’s sovereignty and values, enhanced travel convenience for the people and raised the nation’s global profile, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dec. 30.