Taiwan and Australia yesterday signed a scientific and technological cooperation agreement, the National Science and Technology Council said.
Representative to Australia Douglas Hsu (徐佑典) and Australian Representative in Taiwan Robert Fergusson signed the Science and Technology Arrangement in Canberra after six months of discussions and planning, the council said.
Council Minister Wu Tsung-tsong (吳政忠) proposed the partnership when visiting senior officials at the Australian Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR) in October last year, it said.
Photo: Wu Po-hsuan, Taipei Times
The DISR and Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials witnessed the signing, while representatives from the council, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Australian Office, Taipei, participated online, the council said.
The agreement consists of 22 research cooperation and talent exchange programs, focusing on four main areas: manufacturing information and communications technology, semiconductor and critical technology supply chain resilience, biotechnology, and the net zero transition, it said.
The arrangement is an upgrade from a memorandum of understanding (MOU) Taipei and Canberra signed in 2012, which demonstrated the importance both parties attach to bilateral cooperation in scientific research, Hsu said.
Under the agreement, the two sides would expand cooperation with the aim of further contributing to international society, he said.
DISR General Manager Richard Samuels said he hoped that the deal would help bolster relations between Taiwan and Australia through concrete actions, the council said.
Australia is the fifth country to sign such an agreement with Taiwan, following the US, Germany, France and Canada, it said.
Taiwan has made concrete progress under the deals, including holding the first Science and Technology Cooperation Dialogue with the US in May last year and a scientific research conference with France last month, the council said.
Taiwan and Germany are cooperating in many fields, such as semiconductors and lithium batteries, it said, adding that the two sides are scheduled to hold high-level talks in Germany later this year to review the outcomes of the arrangement.
Separately, Taiwan and Australia last month signed an MOU on transport safety and information exchanges, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Australia said.
The two sides have long been cooperating on aviation safety, with the Aviation Safety Committee signing a similar MOU with the Australian Bureau of Air Safety Investigation in 1998, Hsu said.
The updated MOU expands the scope of cooperation from civil aviation to include maritime and railway transportation safety, including accident investigation, safety research and technical training, he said.
TRAFFIC SAFETY RULES: A positive result in a drug test would result in a two-year license suspension for the driver and vehicle, and a fine of up to NT$180,000 The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to authorize police to conduct roadside saliva tests by the end of the year to deter people from driving while under the influence of narcotics, it said yesterday. The ministry last month unveiled a draft of amended regulations governing traffic safety rules and penalties, which included provisions empowering police to conduct mandatory saliva tests on drivers. While currently rules authorize police to use oral fluid testing kits for signs of drug use, they do not establish penalties for noncompliance or operating procedures for officers to follow, the ministry said. The proposed changes to the regulations require
The Executive Yuan yesterday announced that registration for a one-time universal NT$10,000 cash handout to help people in Taiwan survive US tariffs and inflation would start on Nov. 5, with payouts available as early as Nov. 12. Who is eligible for the handout? Registered Taiwanese nationals are eligible, including those born in Taiwan before April 30 next year with a birth certificate. Non-registered nationals with residence permits, foreign permanent residents and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens with residence permits also qualify for the handouts. For people who meet the eligibility requirements, but passed away between yesterday and April 30 next year, surviving family members
Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung and Taoyuan would issue a decision at 8pm on whether to cancel work and school tomorrow due to forecasted heavy rain, Keelung Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) said today. Hsieh told reporters that absent some pressing reason, the four northern cities would announce the decision jointly at 8pm. Keelung is expected to receive between 300mm and 490mm of rain in the period from 2pm today through 2pm tomorrow, Central Weather Administration data showed. Keelung City Government regulations stipulate that school and work can be canceled if rain totals in mountainous or low-elevation areas are forecast to exceed 350mm in
China Airlines Ltd (CAL) yesterday morning joined SkyTeam’s Aviation Challenge for the fourth time, operating a demonstration flight for “net zero carbon emissions” from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Bangkok. The flight used sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at a ratio of up to 40 percent, the highest proportion CAL has achieved to date, the nation’s largest carrier said. Since April, SAF has become available to Taiwanese international carriers at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), Kaohsiung International Airport and Taoyuan airport. In previous challenges, CAL operated “net zero carbon emission flights” to Singapore and Japan. At a ceremony at Taoyuan airport, China Airlines chief sustainability
RSS