TAIPEI (Taiwan News) - The National Development Council (NDC) announced Tuesday it was in the process of forming a blockchain alliance three months from now.

The NDC had already consulted several other government departments as well as experts and academics to define the mission of the alliance, Minister Chen Mei-ling (陳美伶) told the Smart City Summit & Expo in Taipei Tuesday.

She expressed the hope that Taiwan could play a leading role in the development of blockchain technology and use it to improve public governance, the Liberty Times reported.

Blockchain could also play a role in improving food safety, helping the Council of Agriculture establish a “resume” for food products to trace their origin, Chen said.

In the United Arab Emirates, Dubai had launched a “Blockchain Strategy 2020” to manage its immigration procedures, showing another way in which the new technology could be used to help putting government policies into practice, the Liberty Times reported.