Criticizing a number of crippled satellite projects conducted by the National Science Council (NSC), legislators yesterday called for the exchange of space technology with China in a bid to promote Taiwan's space industry.
At a question and answer meeting held by the Science and Technology Committee (科技及資訊委員會) yesterday, lawmakers voiced disappointment with recent setbacks in three ongoing satellite projects.
Most of the concerns expressed were over technical problems and Chinese interference with the projects, centering around the failure of foreign contractors to obtain the necessary government export licenses to follow through with their commitments.
Legislators urged the NSC to consider cooperating with China.
"This has nothing to do with politics. China has well-developed space technology, and we can definitely benefit from it," said KMT Legislator Ting Shou-chung (
Ting and DPP legislator Chen Zau-nan yesterday (
Stressing security concerns over the proposal, NSC Chairman Weng Cheng-i (
Since the early 1990s -- when Taiwan initiated a 15-year-long state-funded project, costing NT$19.7 billion, to develop space technology -- China has interfered with Taiwan's efforts.
After ROCSAT-1 (
A German firm had been contracted to build the main part of ROCSAT-2, but it had failed to get a high-tech export license from its government, which was under pressure from China. A French company, Matra Marconi Space (MMS), then stepped into the breach.
NSC officials admitted yesterday that China had warned France last week about its cooperation on ROCSAT-2 between the NSC and MMS, to which France had granted a high-tech export license.
It was reported on June 22 that Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao (
KMT legislator Huang Hsien-chou (
"Might France's bid for involvement in a high-speed railway project in China affect Taiwan's satellite contract with France?" asked Huang.
NSC officials said that they had conducted a risk assessment.
"We were told by our contractor that the French government rarely withdraws licenses that have been issued," said Wang Hung-chih (
NSC officials yesterday sought to play down the significance of the legislators' ideas of space cooperation, telling reporters privately that Chinese space technology did not quite meet Taiwan's needs.
A launch date for the satellite has been given as the middle of 2003. However, the deadline for receipt of bids to build the payload system, originally scheduled for January, has been deferred to the end of June because there were no bids received by the deadline.
The bid was expected to attract major aerospace firms in the US and Russia. NSC officials said yesterday that a Russian firm had dropped out after failing to obtain the required high-tech export permit from the Russian government.
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