Secretariat, Taipei City Government

On 14 December, Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-Je hosted a year-end appreciation dinner for Taipei-based foreign ambassadors, representatives, trade office directors and principals of international schools. Over 100 guests from more than 50 countries were present, including over 30 ambassadors and representatives. During the dinner, Mayor Ko thanked the guests for contributing to the improvement of Taipei and also spoke of upcoming events in Taiwan, including Velo-City Global 2016 and the World Design Capital 2016. The dinner was an opportunity for the Mayor to canvas and explore ideas on how Taipei could be transformed into an international city.
Ambassador Ludwig Dowong Keke of the Republic of Nauru spoke next, saying that before Ko became mayor he was a doctor, but even now as mayor Ko is still playing the role of doctor and trying to improve social welfare. Ambassador Keke said that it is clear that the efforts by City Hall have truly benefited the Taiwanese public and foreigners in Taipei. Next year’s calendar includes events such as Velo-City Global 2016, World Design Capital 2016 and the 2017 Universiade. Lastly, the ambassador thanked the mayor for hosting such a wonderful dinner and creating this opportunity to bring together all the ambassadors and representatives.
To give the guests a taste of Taiwanese folk music, Chen Ming-Chang, the father of Taiwanese folk music, was invited to perform during the dinner while guests chatted with Taipei government representatives about how to improve Taipei.
Representatives from Taipei City government includes Deputy Mayor Chou Li Fang, Deputy Secretary General Li Wen Ying and the Commissioners of the Departments of Information and Tourism, Labor and Cultural Affairs and the Director of Taipei Film Commission. Since Taipei City will be hosting the Velo-City Global and World Design Capital next year, there was also a special presentation during dinner by the organizer Chung Hui-Yu, Commissioner of the Department of Transportation. Director of the World Design Capital, Wu Han-Chong, also gave a brief introduction to both events. Taken together, these presentations showed the commitment and determination of Taipei City Government to turn Taipei into an international city.