After congratulating President-elect Chen Shui-bian (
Chen also said he hoped biotechnology could function "as a bridge between the US, China and Taiwan, and that it could lead to cross-strait peace and common Asia-Pacific interests."
Chen invited Ho, currently on a visit to Taiwan, to assist Taiwan in developing biotechnology.
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
Ho, considered good friend of Chen's and a member of Academia Sinica, said: "biotechnology is important to Taiwan, and I am happy to provide an advisory service."
However, Ho said since Chen had not yet made any formal request regarding the appointment, he could not say more for the moment.
Chen said he had recently talked with Academia Sinica president Lee Yuan-tseh (
Chen said Ho and Lee would meet at a later later to talk more about the issue. In addition, Chen said, he would formally invite Ho to take the position of head advisor after the presidential inauguration on May 20.
"I would like to turn Taiwan into a manufacturing and service center for biotechnology," Chen said.
Ho said three conditions are necessary for the development of biotechnology. First, he said, talent was the most important factor.
"A critical mass of talent is required to develop biotechnology," Ho said, adding that there is a lot of overseas and domestic talent in this field.
Secondly, he said the government should get involved in facilities and funding, to show its strong commitment to this goal. And third, he said, private donations were also crucial in ensuring continued funding.
Flashing his trademark boyish smile, Ho emphasized that he visited Chen just to say "hello" and to offer congratulations yesterday.
Chen, however, said he hoped Ho could dedicate himself to his home country in the future.
Ho was born in Taichung in 1952 and left for the US at the age of 12. He returned to Taiwan in 1996 after he was chosen as Time magazine's Man of the Year for 1996, in recognition of his revolutionary work in drug therapies to combat AIDS.
US PUBLICATION: The results indicated a change in attitude after a 2023 survey showed 55 percent supported full-scale war to achieve unification, the report said More than half of Chinese were against the use of force to unify with Taiwan under any circumstances, a survey conducted by the Atlanta, Georgia-based Carter Center and Emory University found. The survey results, which were released on Wednesday in a report titled “Sovereignty, Security, & US-China Relations: Chinese Public Opinion,” showed that 55.1 percent of respondents agreed or somewhat agreed that “the Taiwan problem should not be resolved using force under any circumstances,” while 24.5 percent “strongly” or “somewhat” disagreed with the statement. The results indicated a change in attitude after a survey published in “Assessing Public Support for (Non)Peaceful Unification
The CIA has a message for Chinese government officials worried about their place in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) government: Come work with us. The agency released two Mandarin-language videos on social media on Thursday inviting disgruntled officials to contact the CIA. The recruitment videos posted on YouTube and X racked up more than 5 million views combined in their first day. The outreach comes as CIA Director John Ratcliffe has vowed to boost the agency’s use of intelligence from human sources and its focus on China, which has recently targeted US officials with its own espionage operations. The videos are “aimed at
‘MISGUIDED EDICT’: Two US representatives warned that Somalia’s passport move could result in severe retaliatory consequences and urged it to reverse its decision Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) has ordered that a special project be launched to counter China’s “legal warfare” distorting UN Resolution 2758, a foreign affairs official said yesterday. Somalia’s Civil Aviation Authority on Wednesday cited UN Resolution 2758 and Mogadishu’s compliance with the “one China” principle as it banned people from entering or transiting in the African nation using Taiwanese passports or other Taiwanese travel documents. The International Air Transport Association’s system shows that Taiwanese passport holders cannot enter Somalia or transit there. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) protested the move and warned Taiwanese against traveling to Somalia or Somaliland
Four former Hong Kong opposition lawmakers jailed in the territory’s largest national security case were released yesterday after more than four years in prison, the first among dozens convicted last year to regain their freedom. Former legislators Claudia Mo (毛孟靜), Jeremy Tam (譚文豪), Kwok Ka-ki (郭家麒) and Gary Fan (范國威) were part of a group of 47 public figures — including some of Hong Kong’s best-known democracy advocates — who were charged with subversion in 2021 for holding an informal primary election. The case fell under a National Security Law imposed on the territory by Beijng, and drew international condemnation and warnings