The first governmental level agreement between Taiwan and Israel was signed yesterday on technological cooperation.
In a signing ceremony hosted by the National Science Council (NSC) the agreement was signed by Israel Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei Representative Ruth Kahanoff. The representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Tel Aviv signed the document on Jan. 11.
"This is just not a paper agreement but real cooperation will start soon," Kahanoff said.
She said that there was mutual respect in the area of science and technology between the two nations, while council officials noted that like Taiwan, Israel has given national priority to programs for electronics and microelectrical mechanical systems, biotechnology, space technology, telecommunications, medical research and engineering, and agricultural technology.
She outlined the Israeli government's plan to send the chief scientist of its Ministry of Science and Technology, who is also the ministry's acting director general, to Taiwan in March to discuss more specific plans for cooperation.
Council officials said that Israel has developed remarkable research capabilities in defense technology, aerospace communication and basic life sciences and that these capabilities have also been applied toward development in related industries.
They stressed in particular its creative use of defense technology in the medical industry to improve equipment and products and foster innovation.
Lin Kwang-lung (
"Israel is strong in many areas such as national defense technology and biotechnology. Furthermore, they do not have many natural resources, so all they have today they have developed from zero," he said.
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