The Government of the Republic of China and the Goverunent of S-
olomon Islands, on the basis of the existing close and cordial
ties between the two countries and fiaternal friendship between
the two peoples, and desiring to continue the preceding agricul-
tural technical cooperation, have agreed to sign this Agreement
which contains the following Articles.

Section I
Scope of the Agreement

Article 1
(a) The Government of the Republic of China agrees to dispatch a
Technical Mission (hereinafter referred to as the Mission)
to carry out the projects agreed upon between the Govemment
of the Republic of China and the Government of Solomon Isla-
nds under this Agreement.
(b) The Mission shall cooperate with the Deparbnent of Agricult-
ure and Fisheries of Solomon Islands (hereinafter referred
to as the Department) in undertaking the following projects:
1.Providing technical assistance for community farmers on t-
he production and marketing of rice and its rotation crops
, including the supply of farming inputs (including seeds,
fertilizers, pesticides), chemical spraying and rice mill-
ing equipment, extension support, and the establishment of
on-farm rice demonstration plots in the provinces,
2.Training of agricultural workers selected by Department,
3.Seed production,
4.Crop variety screening and introduction of new farming te-
chnologies, and
5.Small livestock raising.

Article II
The Ministry shall assist Model Communities in securing loans f-
or rice production. Model Communities are the selected communit-
ies which are most suitable for rice farming within the country
and shall receive technical supervision from the Mission.

Section II
Obligations of the parties

Article III
The Government of the Republic of China agrees:
(a) to pay the Taipei-Honiara round-trip expenses for the chief
and members of the Mission, and their remuneration and livi-
ng expenses during the period of their service in Solomon I-
slands;
(b) to defray all the administration expenses of the Mission ex-
cept specified otherwise in this Agreement;
(c) to be responsible for the life and accident insurance for t-
he Chief and members of the Mission;
(d) to provide the Agricultural Training Center of the Mission
and the Training/Demonstration Farm with farm machinery, to-
ols, farming inputs which are not procurable in Solomon Isl-
and, as well as with transportation, farm buildings, and ot-
her necessary facilities or equipment;
(e) to pay for the running and maintenance expenses of the afor-
esaid farm machinery, transportation, farm buildings, and f-
acilities or equipment;
(f) to assist the Department 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 Department and the Mission; the revol-
ving 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 subse-
ction(d) of Article III and to provide free quarantine exam-
ination for such entry;
(b) to provide the Mission with other farming machinery, tools
and equipment deemed to be necessary to supplement those sp-
ecified in subsection (d) of Article III;
(c) to designate one full-time liaison officer from the Departm-
ent with responsibility to coordinate between the Department
and the Mission;
and
(d) to assign the relevant Division and Section at Headquarters
of the Department and its Agricultural Divisions in provinc-
es that shall work together with the Mission in the impleme-
ntation of the projects.

Article V
To the Chief and members of the Mission, the Government of Solo-
mon Islands shall undertake:
(a) to provide appropriate housing for the Mission Chief and me-
mbers; such housing shall be provided with adequate water a-
nd electricity supply; it shall be provided in the same man-
ner and under the same conditions as are accorded to senior
civil servants of Solomon Islands;
(b) to provide local transportation and accommodation for Missi-
on members on official trips to family islands outside Honi-
ara;
(c) to provide with the same medical service and benefits as ac-
corded 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 s-
ervice or within the extended period as may be granted by t-
he 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 a-
ssignment without paying pro-rata duty on those items;
(e) to grant tax exemption on the stipends, emoluments and allo-
wances paid to them by the Government of the Republic of Ch-
ina;
(f) to accord them the right to open a "non-resident external a-
ccount" with a commercial bank in Solomon Islands for depos-
iting their stipends, emoluments and allowances received fr-
om the Government of the Republic of China , and the right
to transfer to any other country at smy time the balance in
such an account;
(g) to exempt them from immigration and visa requirements, alien
registration and work permits;
(h) to guarantee the same repatriation facilities in time of in-
ternational crisis normally available for diplomatic envoys;
and
(i) to provide treatments not less favorable than that provided
to comparable personnel working in Solomon Islands.

Section III
General Provision

Article VI
The Government of Solomon Islands shall hold liability for any
damages associated with the execution of this Agreement, and sh-
all assume the responsibility to settle any claim for damage th-
at may be brought against the Mission or the Government of the
Republic of China, arising from any activities in connection wi-
th this Agreement, unless the damage, as determined jointly by
both Governments, is due to gross negligence and willful miscon-
duct.

Article VII
This Agreement shall retroactively enter into force from the Tw-
elfth Day of December 1999 after its signature, and shall remain
in force for a period of four years.

Article VIII
The Agreement may be terminated upon written notice by one Gove-
rnment, and shall so be terminated 90 days after the receipt of
such notice.

Article IX
This Agreement may be revised at the request of either Governme-
nt.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned representatives of the two
Governments, being duly authorized for the purpose, have signed
this Agreement in duplicate, in the Chinese and English languag-
es, both texts being equally authentic.
Done at Haniara on this 24th day of the 3rd month of the eighty-
ninth year of the Republic of China, corresponding to the 21th
day of the 3rd month of the year two thousands.


FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF
THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA SOLOMON ISLANDS



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P. Y. TENG Hon. Dickson warakohia
Ambassador of Minister for Agriculture
the Republic of China and Fisheries
to Solomon Islands Solomon Islands