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.
Authorities have detained three former Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TMSC, 台積電) employees on suspicion of compromising classified technology used in making 2-nanometer chips, the Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday. Prosecutors are holding a former TSMC engineer surnamed Chen (陳) and two recently sacked TSMC engineers, including one person surnamed Wu (吳) in detention with restricted communication, following an investigation launched on July 25, a statement said. The announcement came a day after Nikkei Asia reported on the technology theft in an exclusive story, saying TSMC had fired two workers for contravening data rules on advanced chipmaking technology. Two-nanometer wafers are the most
NEW GEAR: On top of the new Tien Kung IV air defense missiles, the military is expected to place orders for a new combat vehicle next year for delivery in 2028 Mass production of Tien Kung IV (Sky Bow IV) missiles is expected to start next year, with plans to order 122 pods, the Ministry of National Defense’s (MND) latest list of regulated military material showed. The document said that the armed forces would obtain 46 pods of the air defense missiles next year and 76 pods the year after that. The Tien Kung IV is designed to intercept cruise missiles and ballistic missiles to an altitude of 70km, compared with the 60km maximum altitude achieved by the Missile Segment Enhancement variant of PAC-3 systems. A defense source said yesterday that the number of
A bipartisan group of US representatives have introduced a draft US-Taiwan Defense Innovation Partnership bill, aimed at accelerating defense technology collaboration between Taiwan and the US in response to ongoing aggression by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The bill was introduced by US representatives Zach Nunn and Jill Tokuda, with US House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party Chairman John Moolenaar and US Representative Ashley Hinson joining as original cosponsors, a news release issued by Tokuda’s office on Thursday said. The draft bill “directs the US Department of Defense to work directly with Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense through their respective
Tsunami waves were possible in three areas of Kamchatka in Russia’s Far East, the Russian Ministry for Emergency Services said yesterday after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit the nearby Kuril Islands. “The expected wave heights are low, but you must still move away from the shore,” the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app, after the latest seismic activity in the area. However, the Pacific Tsunami Warning System in Hawaii said there was no tsunami warning after the quake. The Russian tsunami alert was later canceled. Overnight, the Krasheninnikov volcano in Kamchatka erupted for the first time in 600 years, Russia’s RIA
RSS