I am very pleased to address the readers of Taipei Times on Bastille day, symbol of aspirations which found their very first translation in the declaration of Human Rights of 1789. 2002 began with the release of very satisfactory figures for French-Taiwanese economic bilateral ties. They confirmed that Taiwan is, as regards the cumulated amount of trade, one of our main partners in Asia. French exports to Taiwan strongly increased in 2001 to reach euro 2.14 billion, making the cover rate of our bilateral trade almost balanced. It is one of the best results ever reached, due mainly to a new field of cooperation and success in transport and aeronautic sectors. French sales in the automobile sector increased by more than 33 percent last year. New industrial partnerships have been forged. One of the most significant examples is the alliance forged in April 2002 between TSMC and French ST Microelectronics, Philips and Motorola for the setting-up, close to Grenoble, of a pilot plant dedicated to the development of a new generation of electronic chips.
The accession of Taiwan to the World Trade Organization and the possible signature of the government procurement agreement on one side, the strengthening of the European process and the launching of the Euro on the other side, bring new opportunities that our companies have already seized or are ready to seize. The recent creation of the "Invest in France Agency" (AFII) and the establishment of a liaison office in Taipei, within the Economic Department of the French Institute, will contribute to a better knowledge of investment opportunities in France and, thus, in Europe i.a. in the fields of new technologies of information and communication and of biotechnologies.
More than 130 French firms are based in Taiwan, mainly in the fields of industry and services. They employ more than 22,000 people. In this respect, the European school in Taipei is of great significance for French families and for the companies which have decided to work in Taiwan.
France considers culture as an important factor to develop the understanding between people and strengthen the dialogue between cultures and civilizations, through which humanity is progressing and the diversity of human experience can be preserved Taiwan contributes greatly to this dialogue. The French institute in Taipei has decided to bring its own contribution for instance through the support of exhibitions of high quality such as "300 hundred years of French paintings" held at the National Palace Museum or the design exhibition "more or less" at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum. New projects are under consideration such as an exhibition dedicated to the work of the famous architect Le Corbusier and an exhibition on Matisse. The people to people contacts and the links between experts in the fields of cinema and media are steadily growing as shown by the recent Taipei film festival dedicated to Paris and the growing number of joint-productions, like Tsai Ming-liang's movie "What time is it there" or Hou Hsiao-hsien "Millenium Mambo."
France is keen to respond to the vitality and the curiosity towards France of the Taiwanese youth which can be noticed from the 30 percent increase in the number of students going to France. The first European forum of education held this year in Taipei, the establishment of a branch of the Edufrance Agency to facilitate the access to French universities and the revamping of the Alliance Francaise are there to address the aspirations to "more France."
In this respect, it is worth noticing that the French speaking community (the francophony) in Taiwan is progressing at a pace which is among the fastest in Asia. At the same time the links between laboratories and between universities are developing notably in the field of genomics and biotechnologies.
A good way to sustain a very fruitful cooperation and to pave the way to the future!
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source