City Exchanges
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C17hapter 17 City Exchanges Cities are places where human civilization achievements are documented and C h celebrated, where cultures are consolidated. In the face of increasingly a p t intensive global connectivity, the City of Taipei has evolved from competing e r with other cities: rather, she seeks to strengthen her administrative 1 7 governance capabilities and share her success stories through intercity C i partnerships with other international metropolises. The Taipei City t y Government has picked up much momentum in recent years from her active E x participation in international activities: this type of international recognition c h ’ a has grown all the more significant in light of Taiwan s pragmatic diplomacy. n g Through town-twinning, mutual visits among senior officials and e representatives, intercity forums, plus exchange activities that promote s culture, education and sports, the world is seeing Taipei as a beacon of modernity. 263 Chapter 17 City Exchanges he Taipei City Government is committed to promoting city marketing initiatives, participating in international affairs, and encouraging a wide varietyT of international accords. During the process, the Taipei City Government also organized outreach activities for new immigrants and foreign laborers living and working in Taipei. Through a diversity of festivities, the Taipei City 17 Government is hoping to enrich the city’s multifaceted cultural outlook. Part 1 City Diplomacy 1. Town-twinning/Sister Cities Daegu Metropolitan City of South Korea and Taipei are both members of the United Cities and Local Governments-Asia Pacific Region (UCLG- ASPAC). Both cities are active participants in international activities and share a similar philosophy on improving city competitiveness; on November 4, 2010, the two cities signed the “Sister City Agreement: Taipei City and Daegu Metropolitan City” to officially establish a town-twinning bond. Taipei City and Daegu Metropolitan City become sister cities. 2. Exchange Visits Exchange visits between city heads can promote a bonding friendship between cities, where both sides can make use of the golden opportunity to emulate and survey each other’s municipal works, using these observations as a frame of reference to promote municipal cooperation and exchanges. These exchange visits to host press conferences or investment seminars abroad are also conducive to city marketing campaigns. From February 22 to 25, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin led a delegation of representatives to Mayor Hau Lung-bin with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon. Seoul, South Korea to attend the WDC World Design Cities Summit, and delivered a speech on “Cultural and Creative Industries as the Kinetic Driving Force in Urban Development and Engine for New Economic Advances,” allowing the world to glimpse into the efforts made to render possible the multifarious cultural and creative aspects of Taipei. During the visit, Mayor Hau Lung-bin also made a courtesy call to Mayor of Seoul Oh Se-hoon, and shared and exchanged policymaking experiences. From April 30 to May 2, Mayor Hau led a delegation to Shanghai, China to preside at the opening ceremony of the Taipei Case Pavilion at the Expo 2010 Shanghai. Using this opportunity, a co-operation mode was established for a joint marketing promotion of both the 264 Yearbook 2010 Shanghai World Expo and the 2010 Taipei International Flora Expo, which is held from November 6, 2010 through April 25, 2011. In sync with opening of the Shanghai World Expo, when pavilions from around the world are vying for attention, the Taipei Case Pavilion held a welcoming event to capture media coverage, becoming a highlight at the Expo and attracting heavy crowds. From June 10 to 11 and July 5 to 7, Mayor Hau Lung-bin led a delegation to Hong Kong and Tokyo, respectively, to promote the 2010 Taipei International Flora Expo. From June 14 to 17, Mayor Hau led a delegation to Shanghai to attend the Cross Strait City Arts Festival-Taipei Culture Celebration, and preside over the inaugural ceremony of direct flights between Taipei Songshan Airport and Shanghai Hongqiao Airport; at the Mayor Hau Lung-bin and Hon Hai Chairman Terry same time, Mayor Hau also introduced the investment Goup receive visitors. C environment in Taipei City and related information on the h a Flora Expo. On October 31, Mayor Hau Lung-bin led a p t delegation to Tokyo to attend the inaugural ceremony of e r direct flights between Taipei Songshan Airport and Haneda 1 7 Airport in Tokyo. C i t Several mayors of Taipei’s sister cities also visited y Taipei. From May 18 to 24, 2010, Gennady A. Aydaev, E x Mayor of Ulan Ude of the Republic of Buryatia, Russian c h Federation, led a delegation to call on Mayor Hau Lung- a n bin, and also visited numerous municipal buildings in g e Taipei. Zephaniah M. Nkambule, Mayor of Mbabane in the s Kingdom of Swaziland; Norman Noel Quijano González, Mayor of San Salvador, the Republic of El Salvador; Daysi Mayor Hau Lung-bin presiding over the 2010 Torres Bosques, Mayor of Managua, the Republic of Taipei-Shanghai Cultural & Creative Industry Expo Nicaragua; and Kim Bum-il, Mayor of Daegu, South Korea were cordially invited to Taiwan from November 3 to 7 to attend the opening ceremony of the 2010 Taipei International Flora Expo; they also visited municipal constructions in Taipei. 3. Improving Relationships with Sister Cities Taipei currently has 47 sister cities, 2 partner cities and 2 friendship cities. Attributed to the current circumstances and the international political climate changes, little contact with several sister cities have been observed, but close and friendly relations are being maintained with the majority of our sister cities. Nearly half of Taipei’s sister cities are in developing countries; thus exchanges are, more often than not, focused on providing Mayors and representatives from Taipei’s sister cities visit the Taipei International Flora Expo. 265 humanitarian aid. Due to limited budgets and resources, the Taipei City Government mainly provides municipal construction-related technical assistance and donations of used materials in good condition. 4. Active Participation in International Activities Taipei is now an active member in various international city organizations, e.g., the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), United Cities and Local Governments-Asia Pacific Region (UCLG-ASPAC), Asian Network of Major Cities 21 (ANMC21), Sister Cities International (SCI), Asia Pacific Cities Summit (APCS), and Regional Network of Local Authorities for Human Settlements (CITYNET). Taipei holds a seat in the Council and Executive Council of UCLG at the management level; and acts as a council director and executive director in the Council and Executive Council of UCLG-ASPAC, and is actively engaged in meetings and activities organized by the various organizations to make her mark in the international arena and promote her image. In 2010, delegations of the Taipei City Government participated in various international meetings and events. From March 2 to 16, Deputy Mayor Lin Chien-yuan accompanied Chen Chin-hsiang, deputy speaker of Taipei City Council, to visit the Netherlands to inspect the world's largest flood control project, "Delta Works," and the urban constructions in other major cities in Central and Western Europe. From March 12 to 14, Deputy Mayor Li Yongping flew to Shanghai to handle related matters on the Cross Strait City Arts Festival-Taipei Culture Celebration. From March 28 to April 2, Deputy Mayor Lin Chien-yuan went to Hawaii to attend the “2nd Asian City Forum.” From April 16 to 18, Deputy Mayor Lee Yong-ping went to Shanghai to supervise the Taipei Case Pavilion at the World Exposition 2010, as well as to oversee the trial runs for the 101 Theaters and Future Theater video tests. From April 24 to 29, Yeh Ching-yuan, executive officer of the International Affairs Committee, paid a visit to Chicago to attend the ad hoc General Assembly of the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG). From June 22 to 28, Deputy Mayor Lin Chien-yuan visited cityscape planning regions in Tokyo and Tokyo University and Waseda University. From June 27 to 29, executive officer Yeh Ching-yuan left for Singapore to attend the UCLG-ASPAC Executive Board Committee Meeting. From October 20 to 22, Mr. Yeh Ching-yuan went to Hamamatsu City in Japan to attend the UCLG-ASPAC Regional General Assembly. From November 8 to 9, Deputy Mayor Lin Chien-yuan, went to Tokyo to partake in the General Assembly of Asian Network of Major Cities 21 (ANMC21). 5. Visiting Other Cities Taipei and Shanghai are two metropolises w i t h h i g h p o p u l a t i o n d e n s i t y, e c o n o m i c prosperity, and cultural diversity. Both cities face environmental challenges arising from the high level of urbanization. On April 6, 2010, the Taipei City Government organized the Taipei-Shanghai City Forum, where both cities shared concerns on the impact of large-scale exhibitions on urban development. It was agreed that eco-friendly Mayor Hau Lung-bin attending the City Forum with Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng. 266 Yearbook 2010 elements should be infused to truly realize the concept of environmental protection. The main theme of the forum-Strengthened Cooperation and Mutual Development-is far-reaching, and the two cities signed a memorandum for further exchange and cooperation on culture, environmental protection, tourism and science and technology. Through various promotional activities, the dynamics for urban regeneration and development were revamped for both cities, forecasting urban prosperity and win-win economic outlooks. In face of the new challenges of urban integration brought about by cross-strait exchanges and competitions, delegations in the Urban Redevelopment Office visited Shanghai from August 21 to 24 to observe several urban renewal success stories, and the creative industries and urban regeneration policies in Shanghai, with a particular focus on the restoration of historical monuments, the preservation and revitalization of old buildings, and the linkage of creative industries.