Taiwan and Canada have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the use of a “dark vessel detection” system to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, the two governments said yesterday.
The pact was signed in Taipei by outgoing Representative to Canada Harry Tseng (曾厚仁) and Canadian Trade Office in Taipei Executive Director Jim Nickel, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei said, without specifying when the memorandum was signed.
The trade office represents Canadian interests in Taiwan in the absence of official ties.
Photo: Screen grab from the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei’s Facebook page
The agreement would facilitate bilateral cooperation against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and promote prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, the ministry said, while the office added in a Facebook post that the MOU would give the Coast Guard Administration access to Canada’s dark vessel detection system.
The C$7 million system (US$5.1 million) uses satellite imagery and analytics to identify and track vessels that operate illegally by concealing their location or intentions, a Canadian government statement from Feb. 24, 2021, said.
The program aims to provide advanced satellite data and analysis to small island nations and coastal states affected by illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, which can undermine local economies, food security and fish stocks.
Canada signed a similar agreement with the Philippines in 2023 to give it access to the system.
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
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
RSS