Secretariat, Taipei City Government

A fruitful 2016 for Taipei’s city diplomacy

This year Taipei made great strides in international relations, with Mayor Ko travelling to Japan and the US for the first time since his inauguration. The mayor went on thirty-five scheduled visits in Japan, where he met with fourteen important local politicians; in the US, he went on fifty visits and met with seventeen important local politicians. (These were all record numbers.)
The mayor’s goodwill has been widely recognized by the general public and generated positive feedback in the cities visited, several of which reciprocated by organizing visits to Taipei in the second half of 2016. Greg Stanton, the mayor of Phoenix, came in October to renew the agreement on the sister city relationship and expressed his hopes for deepening ties. Fumiko Hayashi, mayor of Yokohama, also led a delegation to Taiwan in October to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the partnership city agreement between Taipei and Yokohama. A bilateral city zoo agreement on species conservation was signed in the presence of the two mayors.
At the invitation of Celia Wade Brown, mayor of Wellington, Taipei’s partnership city, Deputy Secretary-General Lin Wan-fa headed a Taipei City Government delegation at the Taipei Day event in Wellington in August. The event included the screening of the Taiwanese film “Dream Ocean”, a Taipei photography exhibition, and a Taipei food festival. Wellington citizens had the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of Taipei culture; at the same time, closer ties were forged between the two cities.
Taipei City Government took part in the 2016 Asia Pacific Culture Day, held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on November 5 and 6, and publicized the results of international exchanges between Taipei and its sister, friendship, and partnership cities. The Asia Pacific Culture Day is intended to introduce the people of Taipei to the diverse cultures of Asia-Pacific countries. The government hopes that these exhibitions and activities, as well as the upcoming 2017 Taipei Summer Universiade, will bring people together to promote city diplomacy and attract more tourists so they can appreciate the beauty of Taipei and Taiwan. Taipei City Government will continue to seize all opportunities to market Taipei and showcase the best of Taipei to the world.