Taipei: President Lai Ching-te on Thursday met participants in Taiwan's Global Pathfinders Initiative, a program designed to prepare young individuals for contributing to Taiwan's future through overseas exchanges.
According to Focus Taiwan, President Lai expressed gratitude to Franck Paris, the outgoing Director of the French Office in Taipei, for his support in fostering exchanges between Taiwan and France. Lai emphasized that the initiative has bolstered Taiwan-France cooperation, highlighting France's leadership in technology, culture, sports, and other fields.
The Global Pathfinders Initiative, organized by the Ministry of Education, offers short-term overseas exchanges in areas such as public affairs, culture, semiconductors, sports, and space. Over the past two years, 116 young people have participated in the program.
One participant, Tsai Chiao-yi, an aerospace engineer, shared how the program fueled her ambition to become an astronaut. Her visit to France's space center in Toulouse and interactions with officials from both the Taiwan Space Agency and its French counterpart have motivated her to pursue further studies in aerospace in France.
Another participant, Liu Yu-jan, who manages international exchange projects at the Kaohsiung Public Library, found her career aspirations transformed by the experience. Initially aiming to promote local culture through libraries, her encounters with French cultural institutions and Taiwan's representative office inspired her to pursue a career in public diplomacy. Consequently, she has registered for Taiwan's diplomatic service examination.
During the event, President Lai proposed the idea of appointing sports ambassadors, inspired by participants' suggestions. He noted that Taiwan could learn from France's success in developing football, expressing hope that Taiwan might one day qualify for the FIFA World Cup, humorously speculating on the team's preparation against stars like Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbapp©, and Erling Haaland.