Taiwan’s Teen Diplomatic Envoys program sent its Western U.S. delegation to San Francisco on Aug. 28. The students in the group met with local media at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office.

The visit was meant to help prepare Taiwanese teens for international engagement while strengthening cultural and diplomatic ties abroad.

Launched in 2002 by Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Education, the Teen Diplomatic Envoys initiative—originally called the “English Seed Team”—has become one of Taiwan’s flagship youth diplomacy programs. Its mission is to cultivate international awareness and cross-cultural communication skills among Taiwanese high school and vocational students through English debate, speech, and diplomatic simulations.

In over 20 years, the program has engaged more than 2,500 schools and tens of thousands of students across Taiwan. The 2025 U.S. delegation consists of 18 high school students, 10 of whom are currently touring the West Coast accompanied by two teachers.

The San Francisco visit was led by Chen Yi-jun, deputy director general of the Public Diplomacy Coordination Council. She said during the visit that the tour also includes stops in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston. Students will visit political, educational, and cultural institutions as well as meet community leaders and diaspora groups.

“Our goal is to promote international connections, strengthen global dialogue, and demonstrate the democratic values and global outlook of Taiwan’s younger generation,” Chen said.

Since losing its seat at the United Nations in 1971, Taiwan has redoubled its diplomatic outreach. In recent years, its government has taken steps to make Taiwan more visible to the world.

The Teen Diplomatic Envoys program embodies this mission by providing young people with the training to represent Taiwan’s values abroad. The students’ preparation includes diplomatic etiquette, international affairs workshops, mock negotiations, and intensive English-language training for media and public engagement.

“These students are not only learning diplomacy—they are practicing it,” Chen said. “They are living proof of Taiwan’s openness, freedom, and international spirit.”

According to the program’s website, the Teen Diplomatic Envoys have become an enduring brand of Taiwan’s youth diplomacy over the past two decades; the initiative has expanded Taiwan’s visibility abroad, strengthened ties with overseas communities, and built the confidence of young leaders in international discourse.

One student envoy remarked at the San Francisco event, “We are here not only to learn, but to let the world see Taiwan and to bring the world closer to Taiwan.”

This year’s visiting tour comes at a time of shifting U.S.-China relations and evolving U.S.-Taiwan ties.

Earlier this year, the U.S. State Department updated its official Taiwan policy page, removing its longstanding statement “We do not support Taiwan independence” while adding: “We expect cross-Strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means, free from coercion, in a manner acceptable to the people on both sides of the [Taiwan] Strait.”