Taiwan and India yesterday in Chiayi signed a letter of intent to cooperate over railway heritage, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India director James Tien (田中光) and Sriharan Madhusudhanan, director of the India-Taipei Association, signed the letter on behalf of their respective governments.
The ministry said that Taiwan and India each constructed mountain railways in the late 19th century and early 20th century, including the Alishan Forest Railway in Chiayi and systems such as the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the Kalka Shimla Railway and the Nilgiri Mountain Railway in India.
Photo: CNA
Through the letter the two nations would further engage in cooperation for the protection, safeguarding and management of their mountain railway heritage, the ministry said.
The letter is the third bilateral document signed by Taiwan and India this year, following an air services agreement and a memorandum of understanding on agricultural cooperation.
The letter is part of the Taipei’s “new southbound policy” of sharing resources and promoting cultural exchanges and cooperation with nations in Southeast Asia, as well as India, New Zealand and Australia.
The letter will advance the tourism industries in Taiwan and India, the ministry said.
Council of Agriculture Deputy Minister Weng Chang-liang (翁章梁) said that UNESCO has registered five railways as world heritages, all of which are alpine railways and three of which are in India.
The council will learn from India’s experience in a bid to push for the Alishan Forest Railway to be included among the world heritage sites, Weng said.
The ceremony was held in conjunction with celebrations to mark the 104th anniversary of the beginning of operations on the Alishan route.
The railway was opened in 1912, initially running from Chiayi to Erwanping Station, but was extended to Alishan Station on Dec. 25, 1914.
Although originally constructed for logging, the railway is today primarily a tourist attraction, with unique Z-shaped switchbacks, tunnels and wooden bridges.
The Alishan railway climbs to 2,200m above sea level, making it the only rail service of its kind in Taiwan.
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) hosted a dinner in Taipei last night with key Taiwanese suppliers to celebrate the successful mass production of the company’s new Blackwell AI systems. Speaking to the media earlier yesterday, Huang thanked Nvidia’s Taiwanese partners for their contributions to the company’s ecosystem, while also sharing his plans to meet with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀). In response to rumors that Nvidia will launch a downgraded Hopper H20 chip for China in July, Huang dismissed the reports, saying, “That is not true.” He clarified that there
RSS