Taipei: Premier Cho Jung-tai on Saturday welcomed a group of Taiwanese and international students after two vessels completed a six-day sailing trip from Tamsui in northern Taiwan to Kaohsiung in the south. Cho praised the program for encouraging young people to engage with nature instead of screens, telling the students to "let the sky be your screen and the ocean your keyboard."

According to Focus Taiwan, Cho highlighted the initiative's three main goals: to promote outdoor activities, enhance marine environmental education, and foster international friendship through shared experiences at sea. The voyage included 62 students and teachers from Taiwan, France, Japan, Belgium, and Switzerland, organized by Yueming Elementary and Junior High School in Yilan County, in collaboration with French schools in Taipei and other partner schools across Taiwan.

Earlier this year, Cho announced new investments in marine research and education, including plans to build three 4,000-ton survey vessels for scientific exploration around Taiwan's waters. Additionally, he approved a significant budget increase for marine education, raising annual funding from NT$2.5 million (US$83,400) to NT$71 million. The goal is to improve ocean literacy and cultivate a new generation of marine industry professionals.