Secretariat, Taipei City Government

On May 11, Mayor Ko Wen-Je hosted Dr. Jörg Polster, the Director General of the German Institute Taipei. They exchanged opinions on pandemic prevention, housing justice, and other municipal administrative issues, and they discussed the geopolitical situation in East Asia.

Dr. Polster, whose wife is Taiwanese, has been dispatched for diplomatic endeavors to many locations including South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, the United States, Venezuela, and India. From 1999 to 2003, he held the position of Deputy Director General of the German Institute Taipei. At the end of 2021, he came to Taipei once again to assume the office of Director General of the German Institute Taipei. He told Mayor Ko that the overall environment of Taipei had improved substantially in the past 20 years.

Dr. Polster stated that during his second visit to Taiwan to assume office, the COVID-19 pandemic has been increasing in severity. However, he felt that the Taipei City Government controlled the pandemic appropriately to safeguard the normal lives of citizens. In particular, Dr. Polster was impressed by Mayor Ko’s accurate estimation of the COVID-19 situation in Taiwan and the development of the number of people diagnosed as having COVID-19.

Dr. Polster noted that housing prices in Taipei are high and was interested in understanding how Taipei City Government reduces pressure on people who want to purchase a house. Mayor Ko replied that the home ownership rate in Taipei is high, exceeding 80%. He compared the situation in Taipei with that in Hong Kong, where the home ownership rate is 55%. High housing prices have many causes that are cumulative and complicated. High housing prices that are decades in the making cannot be solved with a single policy. A perfect solution to such a problem within a short time frame is unfeasible. The Taipei City Government proposed a “rental only” public housing program to effectively solve the housing problem.

Afterwards, Mayor Ko and Dr. Polster exchanged comments on the war between Russia and Ukraine and on the geopolitical situation in East Asia. Dr. Polster expressed that he gleaned many creative ideas from their discussion and hoped to have more opportunities to learn from Mayor Ko in the future.