Secretariat, Taipei City Government

President Sean Fogarty of the American State Offices Association (ASOA), along with other state office representatives, visited Mayor Ko on August 3, 2020. Officials from the Taipei City Government included Tom Chou (Commissioner, Mayor’s Office for External Affairs), Chung-Chieh Lin (Commissioner of the Department of Economic Development), Gordon Yang (Chief Executive Officer of the International Affairs Advisory Council), Li-Chu Li (Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Information and Tourism), Su-Hui Chen (Chief Secretary of the Department of Education) and Robert Lo (Chief Executive Officer of Invest Taipei Office [ITO]). Both sides exchanged opinions on cooperation in education, trade, and investment.
 
During the meeting, representatives from different state offices shared their states’ main industries and their expectations for future collaboration with Taipei. Specifically, the State Office representatives of Hawaii, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Florida, and Idaho expressed hope for enhancing educational collaboration with Taipei through programs such as bilingual teacher training and student exchanges. President Fogarty expressed great interest not only in our Annual Smart City Summit but also in the potential for Taiwanese entrepreneurs to invest and establish locations in the United States.
 
Mayor Ko believes that cooperation through a bilingual teacher training program will improve the experimental bilingual curriculum of schools in Taipei. Regarding cooperation in trade and investment, he introduced President Fogarty to ITO personnel to help connect private enterprises in both countries. The Taipei City Government will continue cooperating with the ASOA and looks forward to future collaboration.