Two Cabinet members yesterday cancelled scheduled trips to France to show Taiwan's anger over French President Jacques Chirac's denunciation of the "defensive" referendum.
National Science Council (NSC) Chairman Wei Che-ho (魏哲和), on a trip to Europe, removed France from his itinerary and will stay only in Germany the following week to promote scientific collaboration between the two nations.
Council for Cultural Affairs Chairwoman Tchen Yu-chiou (陳郁秀) also canceled a trip to France scheduled for yesterday to Feb 8.
Tchen was originally set to confer awards on Taiwanese students studying in France.
Counselor to the chairwoman Chung Cha-pin (
NSC officials said that, in light of the political turbulence caused by Chirac's comments, it was not an appropriate time for high-ranking officials to visit France.
Three science and technology divisions under the council -- one each in Belgium, Bonn and Paris -- work on scientific collaboration with European countries. High-ranking officials of the council usually visit more than one of the divisions on trips to Europe.
According to NSC deputy chairman Shieh Ching-Jyh (謝清志), Wei cancelled the visit to France because of Chirac's talk.
"Scientific collaboration between Taiwan and France will continue, but whether more effort will be put into new projects remains uncertain at this moment," Shieh said.
"Terminating projects wouldn't change Chirac's stance, so we will consider long-term bilateral collaboration," Shieh said.
The NSC will continue to help academics build close relationships with their counterparts in France, Shieh said.
Taking the France-Taiwan Science Award -- given to outstanding scientists from both sides -- as an example, Shieh said that similar sponsorships would not be terminated.
In past decades, fields involving scientific collaboration have included biotechnology, agriculture, geology, nuclear engineering and electronic engineering.
Shieh said the ROCSAT-2 project, the nation's second satellite jointly built by Taiwan and France, would continue as planned and would not be affected by politics. The satellite is scheduled to be launched late next month in California.
The ROCSAT-2 project, which cost NT$4.7 billion, is one of several projects in which France can participate. France also hopes to persuade Taiwan to buy its Airbus products, Shieh said.
The satellite was built jointly by Taiwan's National Space Program Office and France-based satellite manufacturer Astrium, Europe's No. 1 space company.
The pan-European Astrium, established in 2000, is the result of a merger of Germany-based DASA, France-based Matra-Marconi Space and other European companies. Astrium is a joint venture of the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company, which owns 80 percent of Airbus.
According to Taipei Times' sources, scientific cooperation between Taiwan and France on ROCSAT2 in 1999 hurt the relationship between France and China, leading to a delay in Beijing's purchasing of Airbus products.
Since the early 1990s, there has been friction over French involvement in Taiwan's major national projects.
Failures included bids involving the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, Taipei Rapid Transit System, Taiwan High Speed Rail Project and the Lafayette frigate scandal.
The Mirage-2000 deal with the Ministry of National Defense was one of a few successful cases.
Additional reporting by Jewel Huang
Also see story:
Chirac's remarks shamed France: Lu
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
RSS