The head of the United States' Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Gina McCarthy, is set to arrive in Taiwan on Monday.
The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), which is the de facto US embassy in the absence of official ties, said Sunday that McCarthy’s two-day trip will mark 20 years of US-Taiwan cooperation on environmental issues.
McCarthy will be the first Cabinet-level official from the United States to travel to Taiwan in nearly 14 years. The last Cabinet secretary to visit was then-Transportation Secretary Rodney Slate in June, 2000.
During her visit, McCarthy will meet with President Ma Ying-jeou and Taiwanese environmental officials. On Monday, McCarthy will visit a local elementary school to observe low-carbon classrooms and an ecological pond. She’ll participate in a teleconference with students at an elementary school in the American state of New Jersey.
Later on Monday, the EPA chief will deliver a speech at National Taiwan University in Taipei and tour an exhibition celebrating 20 years of US-Taiwan partnerships on environmental issues.