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Taiwan Quick Take

■ Diplomacy
German lawmakers arriving
Leaders of a German parliamentary group will arrive in Taipei tomorrow, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced yesterday. Berlin-Taipei Friends Group chairman Klaus Rose and vice chairman Angelika Kruger-Leissner hope to learn more about Taiwan's political situation in the wake of the presidential election as well as the development of cross-strait relations, ministry officials said. The officials added that the Germans will meet with President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) , Control Yuan President Fredrick Chien (錢復), Foreign Affairs Minister Eugene Chien (簡又新), Vice Minister of National Defense Lin Chong-pin (林中斌) and Mainland Affairs Council Vice Chairman Huang Chieh-cheng (黃介正) before leaving on April 9.

■ Defense
US defends radar sale
The US on Thursday defended its planned sale of advanced radar systems to Taipei, saying they were merely to safeguard Taiwan's security. China had said it wanted to seek clarification from Washington over the deal. US State Department spokesman Adam Ereli told reporters that Washington had not received any "formal demarche" from Beijing but said that the early warning radars were "inherently defensive" and to enable Taiwan "to detect and react to missile attacks." He said that the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress on Tuesday about the sale of the two long-range radars, reportedly worth nearly US$1.8 billion. "We believe it will improve the overall security and defensive capability of Taiwan and that this sale does not affect the basic military balance in the region and is consistent with the United States law and policies," Ereli said. "We will continue to assist Taiwan in meeting its legitimate self-defense needs in accordance with our obligations" under the Taiwan Relations Act, Ereli said.

■ Education
Exams computerized
Participants in the national examination will now be able to get their results almost immediately after sitting the examination, thanks to the inauguration yesterday of a computerized examination center. Ministry of Examination Vice Minister Huang Ya-pang (黃雅榜), who concurrently serves as the convener of a national examination task force, said that participants in the examination will from now on answer questions on computers. Referring to concerns about anti-fraud measures employed by the computerized system, the Ministry of Examination officials said that they have taken advantage of the experience of other countries in preventing fraud when taking computerized tests for things like drivers' licenses and TOEFL certification.

■ Science
Inter-museum show set
The "Rhythms of Life" exhibition from Britain's Natural History Museum will open at the National Taiwan Museum in September, Taiwanese museum officials announced yesterday at a contract-signing ceremony. The "Rhythms of Life" exhibit is a wide-ranging display of graphic illustrations, rhythmic sound effects, museum specimens and models and magic shows. It is described as an informal and fun way to introduce visitors to the idea of the mysterious clocks that run the natural world and to show how humans interrupt the natural rhythms of nature.

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