German Institute Taipei Director-General Jorg Polster on Monday became the first foreign recipient of Taiwan’s Science and Technology Profession Medal for his work on bilateral science and technological cooperation.
At a ceremony in Taipei, Tom Yeh (葉至誠), the head of international cooperation at the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), said the council had conferred the honor on Polster for his efforts in enhancing exchanges, including facilitating the signing of a science and technology agreement between Taiwan and Germany in March.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by German Minister of Education and Research Bettina Stark-Watzinger, who was making the first official trip by a German minister to Taiwan in 26 years, Yeh said.
Photo: CNA
Under the agreement, Taiwan and Germany are to enhance cooperation in areas such as artificial intelligence applications, semiconductors, IC design, automobiles, hydrogen energy and education, NSTC Minister Wu Tsung-tsong (吳政忠) said.
Yeh also emphasized the various research areas in which both countries have collaborated, including semiconductors and lithium battery research and development.
Receiving the award, Polster, who holds a doctorate in physics from the Dresden University of Technology, said he was pleased to witness the potential of the next generation and hoped that young people would carry on academic exchanges between Taiwan and Germany.
Regarding recent bilateral cooperation, Polster cited a slate of memorandums of understanding signed between his alma mater in Dresden and Taiwanese universities and research institutes in April, as well as an exchange program under which students from National Hsinchu Senior High School visited Germany.
Polster said that bilateral agreements such as those signed during his time leading the German Institute Taipei — which functions as the country’s de facto embassy in the absence of diplomatic relations — led not only to the development of joint research efforts, but also industrial cooperation.
One example of such industry-level ties is Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s proposal for a factory in Saxony, which might be approved in the next few weeks, he said.
The Science and Technology Profession Medal, set up by the NSTC, is designed to recognize people who have made special contributions to Taiwan’s development of science and technology.
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
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
The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) put Taiwan in danger, Ma Ying-jeou Foundation director Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑) said yesterday, hours after the de facto US embassy said that Beijing had misinterpreted World War II-era documents to isolate Taiwan. The AIT’s comments harmed the Republic of China’s (ROC) national interests and contradicted a part of the “six assurances” stipulating that the US would not change its official position on Taiwan’s sovereignty, Hsiao said. The “six assurances,” which were given by then-US president Ronald Reagan to Taiwan in 1982, say that Washington would not set a date for ending arm sales to Taiwan, consult
A Taiwanese academic yesterday said that Chinese Ambassador to Denmark Wang Xuefeng (王雪峰) disrespected Denmark and Japan when he earlier this year allegedly asked Japan’s embassy to make Taiwan’s representatives leave an event in Copenhagen. The Danish-language Berlingske on Sunday reported the incident in an article with the headline “The emperor’s birthday ended in drama in Copenhagen: More conflict may be on the way between Denmark and China.” It said that on Feb. 26, the Japanese embassy in Denmark held an event for Japanese Emperor Naruhito’s birthday, with about 200 guests in attendance, including representatives from Taiwan. After addressing the Japanese hosts, Wang
RSS