The Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the
Government of Solomon Islands in view of the existing close and
cordial ties between the two countries and fraternal friendship
between the two peoples and with the mutual desire to continue
the preceding agricultural technical cooperation, have agreed as
follows:
Article I
(a) The Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) agrees to
dispatch a Technical Mission (hereinafter referred to as the
Mission) to carry out the projects agreed upon between the
Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the
Government of Solomon Islands under this Agreement.
(b) The Mission shall cooperate with the Ministry of Agriculture
and Livestock Development of Solomon Islands (hereinafter
referred to as the Ministry) in undertaking the following
projects:
1.Providing technical assistance for community farmers on
the production and marketing of rice and its rotation
crops, including the supply of farming inputs (seeds,
fertilizers, pesticides), chemical spraying and rice
milling equipment, extension support, and the establishment
of on-farm rice demonstration plots in the provinces; and
expansion into commercial rice farming.
2.Training of farmers and agriculture workers recommended by
the Ministry.
3.Seed production.
4.Crop variety screening and introduction of new farming
technologies.
5.Assisting farmers in small-scale pig and poultry raising.
6.Pursuing study for food processing and value-adding.
7.Commercial rice farms development.
8.Providing assistance for integrated training in various
fields.
9.Fruit trees development.
10.Providing know-how on farmers association and cooperatives
.
11.Providing experts in water management and irrigation
system.
Article II
The Ministry shall assist Model Communities in securing loans
for rice production. Model Communities are the selected
communities which are most suitable for rice farming within the
country and shall receive technical supervision from the
Mission.
Article III
The Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) agrees:
(a) to pay the Taipei-Honiara round-trip expenses for the Leader
and members of the Mission, and their remuneration and
living expenses during their service in Solomon Islands;
(b) to defray all the administration expenses of the Mission
except specified otherwise in this Agreement;
(c) to be responsible for the life and accident insurance for
the Leader and members of the Mission;
(d) to provide the Agriculture Training Centre of the Mission
and the Training/Demonstration Farm with farm machinery,
tools, farming inputs which are not procurable in Solomon
Islands, as well as with transportation, farm buildings, and
other necessary facilities or equipment;
(e) to pay for the running and maintenance expenses of the
aforesaid farm machinery, transportation, farm buildings,
and facilities or equipment; and
(f) to assist the Ministry to establish an experimental system
to supply farm tools, farming inputs to project farmers and
to market the farmers' produce, by charging a fee reflecting
the production, importation, processing or handling costs;
the fee so charged shall be deposited in special revolving
fund account at a co-signatory authorization for the control
of the account by the Ministry and the Mission; the
revolving fund shall be solely for the use of the projects.
Article IV
The Government of Solomon Islands agrees:
(a) to permit duty-free entry of all items referred to in
subsection (d) of Article III and to provide free quarantine
examination for such entry;
(b) to provide the Mission with other farm machinery, tools and
equipment deemed to be necessary to supplement those
specified in subsection (d) of Article III;
(c) to designate one full-time liaison officer from the Ministry
with responsibility to coordinate between the Ministry and
the Mission; and
(d) to assign the relevant Division and Section at Headquarters
of the Ministry and its Agricultural Divisions in the
provinces that shall work together with the Mission in the
implementation of the projects.
Article V
To the Leader and members of the Mission, the Government of
Solomon Islands shall undertake:
(a) to provide appropriate housing for the Mission Leader and
members; such housing shall have adequate water and
electricity supply and shall be provided in the same manner
and under the same conditions as accorded to senior civil
servants of Solomon Islands;
(b) to provide local transportation and accommodation for
Mission members on official trips to family islands outside
Honiara;
(c) to provide with the same medical service and benefits as
accorded to Solomon Islands citizens;
(d) to permit duty-free entry of personal and household effects
at the time of taking up their assignment or during their
service or within the extended period as may be granted by
the Controller of Customs and Excise of Solomon Islands; no
such items imported duty free shall be sold or disposed of
by members of the Mission before the termination of their
assignment without paying pro-rata duty on those items;
(e) to grant tax exemption on the stipends, emoluments and
allowances paid to them by the Government of the Republic of
China (Taiwan);
(f) to accord them the right to open a "non-resident external
account" with a commercial bank in Solomon Islands for
depositing their stipends, emoluments and allowances
received from the Government of the Republic of China
(Taiwan), and the right to transfer to any other country at
any time the balance in such an account; this is, however,
subject to the applicable requirements of the commercial
banks and the Central Bank.
(g) to exempt them from immigration and visa requirements, alien
registration and work permit;
(h) to guarantee the same repatriation facilities in time of
international crisis normally available to diplomatic
envoys; and
(i) to provide treatments not less favourable than that provided
to comparable personnel working in Solomon Islands.
Article VI
The Government of Solomon Islands shall hold liability for any
damages associated with the execution of this Agreement, and
shall assume the responsibility to settle any claim for damage
that may be brought against the Mission or the Government of the
Republic of China (Taiwan), arising from any activities in
connection with this Agreement, unless the damage, as determined
jointly by both Governments, is due to gross negligence and
willful misconduct.
Article VII
This Agreement shall retroactively enter into force from the
twelfth day of December 2007 after its signature and shall
remain in force for four years.
Article VIII
The Agreement may be terminated upon written notice by either
Government, and shall so be terminated ninety days after the
receipt of such notice.
Article IX
This Agreement may be amended by mutual agreement between the
two Governments through the exchange of notes.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned, duly authorized by their
respective Governments, have signed this Agreement.

Done in duplicate in Chinese and English, both texts being
equally authentic, at Honiara this sixteenth day of the ninth
month of the ninety-seventh year of the Republic of China
(Taiwan), corresponding to the sixteenth day of the ninth month
of the year two thousand and eight.


For the Government of the For the Government of
Republic of China (Taiwan) Solomon Islands
───────────── ───────────
H.E. George Chan Hon. Selwyn Riumana
Ambassador Extraordinary Minister for Agriculture and
and Plenipotentiary Livestock Development