Taiwan’s efforts at surveying and protecting flora show that it is a “close ally,” Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said, adding that his nation would continue to support Taiwan at UN assemblies and other international occasions.
Sogavare made the remarks while meeting with Ambassador to the Solomon Islands Roger Luo (羅添宏) last month.
During the meeting, Luo presented Sogavare with the Investigation of Plant Resources and Compilation of the Flora for Solomon Islands catalog of plant species on the Solomon Islands.
“The Solomon Islands, with its abundant natural resources, is one of the best destinations in the world for studying plants,” Luo said, adding that Taiwanese compiled the encyclopedia out of friendship and the hope that it would help protect the Solomon Island’s flora.
Sogavare said the friendship between the two nations is evidenced by the effort Taiwanese put into protecting plants native to the nation and thanked Taiwan for its support in humanitarian relief, medicine, agriculture and rural development.
The Solomon Islands will continue to support Taiwan’s bid for UN recognition, Sogavare said, adding that Solomon Islanders are not afraid to speak for Taiwan.
“Our relationship is based on the fundamental principles of democracy and human rights which our two countries firmly believe in and uphold,” he said. “I can assure you that the relationship between our two countries can only grow stronger.”
The book is the result of the joint effort of the International Cooperation and Development Fund, the National Museum of Natural Science and Dr Celia Koo Botanic Conservation Center.
A total of 2,715 plant specimens were archived as of December last year. The book project was launched in 2012.
Additional reporting by Sean Lin
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious