Secretariat, Taipei City Government

Manharsinh Laxmanbhai Yadav, Director General of the India Taipei Association (ITA), called on Taipei Mayor Wan-An Chiang at Taipei City Hall and was accompanied by Deputy Director-General Prasant Tripathi and other colleagues. The goal of the visit was to discuss several exchange and cooperation matters. 

Mayor Chiang welcomed Director General Yadav on his appointment to Taiwan and remarked on the close relationship between Taipei City and the ITA as co-organizers of many events. Mayor Chiang stated that he looked forward to continuing to work closely with the ITA to create more opportunities for exchange. Yadav thanked the Taipei City Government for its assistance to the ITA and expressed his hopes that the ITA’s ties with Taipei could be deepened through the organization of events for festivals such as Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.

India became the fifth-largest economy by GDP in 2022 and the most populous nation worldwide this year. Mayor Chiang said that given the significant role of India on the world stage, he hopes, with Director General Yadav’s assistance, to strengthen exchange between Taipei and cities in India. He further expressed a wish for Taipei to become a sister city to cities in India and to deepen bilateral cooperation between the two nations. 

Yadav said that India and Taiwan have many similarities in terms of culture and policies, and that he would be happy to see opportunities for interaction between the two.

Yadav also thanked Taipei City for taking care of the Indian expatriates in the city. According to the Director General, the English-speaking population in India has now surpassed that in the United Kingdom and United States, and he is aware of the current implementation of bilingual education in elementary and secondary schools in Taipei City. Because there are many people in India who aspire to learn Chinese, Taipei City and India can perhaps learn from each other, he suggested. Mayor Chiang remarked on the possibility of more opportunities for exchange in English teaching or Chinese learning.

Sports, tourism, talent exchange, and cultural collaborations were also discussed during the meeting. Chiang announced that Taipei was hosting the 2024 Smart City Summit & Expo and the 2025 World Masters Games and encouraged the Director General to invite cities and organizations in India to send delegations to Taiwan to participate in these events. Lastly, Chiang indicated that he is a fan of Indian curry and asked Yadav to recommend authentic Indian restaurants in Taipei City. Yadav joked that he noticed more Indian restaurants than Indian expatriates in Taiwan and then sincerely remarked on the deep love for Indian food in Taiwan. The meeting ended on good spirits.