Two high-ranking US officials were scheduled to arrive in Taiwan Thursday to discuss international fisheries and marine conservation issues with their Taiwanese counterparts, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said that day.
David Balton, deputy assistant secretary for oceans and fisheries at the US State Department’s Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, and Russell Smith III, deputy assistant secretary for International Fisheries at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration were the two officials.
Before departing Sunday, Balton and Smith are scheduled to deliver speeches at Taiwan’s Chinese Society of International Law and to meet with government officials and representatives from civil society to discuss international fisheries and marine conservation issues of mutual concern, AIT said in a statement.
Balton became the deputy assistant secretary for oceans and fisheries in 2009. Before that, he served for six years as director of the Office of Marine Conservation under the State Department, where he was responsible for coordinating US foreign policy on living marine resources and overseeing participation in international marine resources organizations.
Smith previously worked at the office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), where he was responsible for international environmental policy and multilateral environmental agreements.
2015 WantChinaTimes.com