Taipei, Aug. 14 (CNA) A United States narcotics official said Tuesday that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) plans to establish an office in Taipei to promote interaction with Taiwan's law enforcement agencies.
Phillip Chad Esch, narcotics attaché for the DEA Hong Kong SAR Office, made the announcement at the first-ever crime-fighting and forensic science workshop that opened in Taipei that day.
It is hoped that the future Taipei office will also help enhance cooperation between law enforcement agencies, and that the two sides will be able to further exchange information on cross-border crime, Esch said.
However, the date for the establishment of the office has yet to be determined, he added.
According to the DEA website, the agency currently has 86 foreign offices in 62 countries, of which 14 are in the Far East region including Hong Kong, Australia, the Philippines and Singapore.
The two-day workshop, the first held under the U.S.-Taiwan Global Cooperation Training Framework (GCTF) since its inception in June 2015, is co-hosted by Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau (MJIB), and the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) which represents the U.S. interests in Taiwan during the absence of the diplomatic ties between the two nations.
According to MOFA, representatives from 16 countries on three continents are attending the event in Taipei and will discuss how to deepen international cooperation and combat cross-border crime.
