Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry is seeking to use young people’s international ambitions and drone expertise to expand the country’s overseas engagement, while civilian drone applications could also benefit Taiwan’s allies, according to a senior ministry official on Wednesday, August 12.

Department of NGO International Affairs Director General and Drone Diplomacy Task Force Executive Director Charlie Chiang (江振瑋) made the comments in an interview with Rti after a send-off ceremony for this year’s International Youth Ambassadors Exchange Program, which included participants with drone expertise for the first time.

“Our young people are very energetic, and they have a lot of ambition to participate in international affairs,” Chiang said. The ministry hopes to use that energy and enthusiasm to expand Taiwan’s international exchanges, he added.

Drones could serve diplomatic allies’ civilian needs, Chiang said. For island nations, drones could help deliver goods to places without airports or helipads, he said, while unmanned systems could also assist in searches for missing people or those lost at sea.

He also noted other potential uses, including in agriculture, responding to illegal fishing, and protecting undersea cables across large maritime areas.

Chiang went on to say that youth ambassador program exchanges could also expand beyond Taiwan’s diplomatic allies to other partners, including countries in Europe, the United States, and Japan, broadening the scope of young participants’ engagement with the international community.

“This is exactly what we mean by ‘everyone is a diplomat,’” Chiang said, referring to a motto frequently spoken by Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍).