Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) yesterday praised former president Lee Teng-hui’s (李登輝) contributions to the development of Taiwanese agriculture at the launch of Harvest Publications’ new book, Mr Agriculture — Lee Teng-hui (永遠的農業人:李登輝與台灣農業).
The first 50 years of Taiwan’s development are closely related to agriculture, and anyone who wishes to understand it should read the book, Chen said at the launch in Taipei, held on the eve of the second anniversary of Lee’s passing.
Lee’s belief that agriculture was the backbone of the nation is a core value that every agriculture minister cherishes, Chen said, adding that the council, carrying on Lee’s dreams, is pushing for “green agriculture” that would safeguard farmers’ interests while ensuring environmental sustainability.
Photo: CNA
Lee’s policies shed light on why Japanese engineer Yoichi Hatta, known for his contributions to hydraulic engineering in Taiwan, had pushed for the building of the Chianan Irrigation Canal (嘉南大圳), which turned the Chianan Plain (嘉南平原) into the breadbasket of Taiwan, Chen said.
Lee’s devotion to furthering agriculture policies, including farmers’ health insurance and occupational hazard insurance, has deeply affected agricultural policies and are still in effect, he said.
Ikuyo Murashima, head of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association’s cultural affairs and public relations department, said Lee introduced to Japan Hatta’s role in the construction of the Chianan Irrigation Canal and its continuing contribution to Taiwanese agriculture.
Taiwanese do not have to thank Japan for such an engineering feat, because Taiwanese themselves took part in its construction, Murashima added.
Taiwanese agriculture is a key factor in building closer relations between Japan and Taiwan, Murashima said, adding that she was confident that the late Lee and former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, who considered Lee a mentor, would be glad to see Taiwan and Japan working together to deepen their friendship.
Separately, the Lee Teng-hui Foundation and Lee’s family yesterday announced that it would donate 2,000 manuscripts of Lee’s speeches and other documents to the Academia Historica.
The Academia Historica is holding a ceremony today to accept the donation.
The documents include valuable manuscripts, such as Lee’s conversation with then-Straits Exchange Foundation chairman Koo Chen-fu (辜振甫) before he visited China in 1998.
Koo’s visit would later be cited as the foundation of the so-called “1992 consensus,” a term that former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted to making up in 2000 — referring to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge that there is “one China,” with each side having its interpretation of what “China” means.
Additional reporting by Lee Hsin-fang
NEW AGREEMENT: Malaysia approved imports last year after nearly two years of negotiations and inspections to meet quarantine requirements, officials said Up to 3.6 tonnes of pomeloes from Taiwan cleared Malaysian customs on Friday, in the first shipment of Taiwanese pomeloes to Malaysia. Taiwan-grown pomeloes are popular in domestic and overseas markets for their tender and juicy taste, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said. The fruit is already exported to Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines, it added. The agency began applying for access to the Malaysian market in 2023, compiling data on climate suitability, pests and diseases, and post-harvest handling, while also engaging in nearly two years of negotiations with Malaysian authorities and submitting supplementary
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
Tigerair Taiwan and China Airlines (CAL) today announced that several international flights were canceled or rescheduled due to Typhoon Ragasa. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) has maintained sea and land warnings for the typhoon. Its storm circle reached the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) on Taiwan's southern tip at 11am today. Tigerair Taiwan said it canceled Monday's IT551/IT552 Taoyuan-Da Nang, IT606/IT607 Taoyuan-Busan and IT602 Taoyuan-Seoul Incheon flights. Tomorrow, cancelations include IT603 Seoul Incheon-Taoyuan, as well as flights between Taoyuan and Sapporo, Osaka, Tokyo Narita, Okinawa, Fukuoka, Saga, Tokyo Haneda, Nagoya, Asahikawa and Jeju. On Wednesday, the IT321/IT322 Kaohsiung-Macau round-trip would also be canceled. CAL announced that today's
Three tropical depressions yesterday intensified into tropical storms, with one likely to affect Taiwan as a typhoon, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The three storms, named Mitag, Ragasa and Neoguri, were designated as storms No. 17 to 19 for this year, the CWA said. Projected routes indicate that Ragasa is most likely to affect Taiwan, it said. As of 2am today, Ragasa was 1,370km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) on the southernmost tip of Taiwan. It was moving west-northwest before turning northwest, slowing from 11kph to 6kph, the agency said. A sea warning for Ragasa is unlikely before Sunday afternoon, but its outer rim
RSS