Secretariat, Taipei City Government

Mayor Kate Gallego, the mayor of Taipei City’s sister city Phoenix, and her delegation visited Taiwan. On July 10, Mayor of Taipei Wan-An Chiang hosted a banquet for Mayor Gallego and her delegation. Chairperson of Research, Development & Evaluation Commission and Executive Director of International Affairs Advisory Council Eric Chen-Hua Yu, Taipei City Government Spokesperson Wei Yin, Commissioner of Department of Education Chih-Min Tang, Commissioner of Department of Economic Development Chun-An Chen, Commissioner of Department of Cultural Affairs Shih-Ping Tsai, and Commissioner of Taipei City Fire Department Morris Huai-Chu Mo also attended the banquet to welcome Mayor Gallego and her delegation and to engage in exchanges with them.

In his speech, Mayor Chiang highlighted that Mayor Gallego is the youngest mayor and the second elected female mayor in the history of Phoenix. Mayor Chiang and Mayor Gallego are similarly aged, mayors of international and metropolitan cities, and alumni of the University of Pennsylvania. Mayor Chiang felt that these similarities created a sense of connection between them and indicated he was pleased and honored to meet and host Mayor Gallego in person, after the relaxation of pandemic restrictions.

Mayor Chiang indicated that Taipei City and Phoenix share a close friendship and have engaged in numerous collaborations and exchanges across multiple sectors including education, disaster prevention, art, economics, and trade. Examples of productive collaborations include the high school STEAM education cooperation program, the international youth ambassador exchange program, exchanges pertaining to disaster prevention policies, a creative competition for handicapped artists, and a Chinese cultural summer camp. Taipei City cherishes this strengthening friendship and will continue to engage in friendly exchanges with Phoenix and other international cities. Mayor Chiang cordially invited Mayor Gallego to visit Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, Taipei Music Center, and Maokong Gondola to experience the beauty of Taipei City.

Mayor Gallego responded with gratitude to the warm welcome from Mayor Chiang and Taipei City Government. She expressed her pleasure at learning that both mayors shared an alma mater and indicated that she wanted to take a group photo together. Mayor Gallego also highlighted that this is her second visit to Taiwan. During her first visit in 2019, Taipei City Government celebrated her birthday with her and touched her heart with its warm, family-like hospitality. During that trip, she visited numerous attractions of Taipei, such as Taipei 101, the Dadaocheng neighborhood, the National Palace Museum, and the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, and witnessed the modern and progressive development of Taipei City. She also visited Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company and was pleased to welcome Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company to set up operations in Phoenix. Mayor Gallego mentioned that since the two cities became sister cities, they have collaborated in various fields such as education, traditional Chinese art, firefighting, and business. During her current trip, Mayor Gallego will visit various firms engaged in climate change–activities, and she hopes to help create more opportunities for cooperation related to climate change initiatives. She also hopes to invite Taiwanese restaurants to Phoenix such that the residents of Phoenix can savor the cuisine of Taipei City. Mayor Gallego is delighted to visit Taiwan again and sincerely appreciates the warm hospitality shown by Mayor Chiang and Taipei City Government.

Mayor Chiang gifted to Mayor Gallego a basketball plant pot created by Double Dribble, an innovative startup based in Songshan Cultural and Creative Park. The plant pot was designed according to the principles of a sustainable circular economy by Double Dribble, which gives discarded basketballs a new life by cleaning and reusing them as plant pots. Mayor Chiang suggested using the plant pots to grow the renowned cactus of Arizona. Mayor Chiang also gifted the delegation with toy models of a double-decker sightseeing bus to promote the double-decker sightseeing bus tours of Taipei City. Finally, to celebrate their long-lasting friendship, both parties took a photo together in which they made heart gestures.