On August 10, Mayor San-cheng Chang hosted a welcome dinner for visiting delegations from Taoyuan's allied cities. He held discussions on future exchange plans with Mayor Darren Power from the City of Logan, Queensland, Australia and other representatives from six cities across three countries, aiming to reinvigorate the pre-pandemic level of engagement and usher in a new era of city diplomacy.
The mayor stated that the city government hopes to foster a deeper mutual understanding and pave the way for future exchanges between Taoyuan and its allied cities by extending invitations to them to attend the inaugural 2023 Hakka Expo hosted by the city government. According to the mayor, the visiting cities have enjoyed a history of longstanding interaction with Taoyuan, with some cities' friendships even spanning across nearly three decades. Despite changes in leadership since the initial agreements were inked, all the incumbent mayors are committed to creating more facets of exchanges that will translate these bilateral friendships into tangible people-to-people interactions. They will engage in substantial discussions on city governance experience exchange and enhance the well-being of citizens.
In addition to expressing their gratitudes to Mayor Chang for his gracious invitation to attend the 2023 Hakka Expo, representatives from various cities also shared with the mayor the historical exchanges between their city and Taoyuan and discussed future plans for cooperation. They also look forward to future visits to Taoyuan.
Taking place from August 11 to October 15, the 2023 Hakka Expo, organized by the Taoyuan City Government, welcomed the attendance of the city's six allied cities and 12 foreign missions and representative offices in Taiwan, notably including the Singapore Trade Office in Taipei. Their presence was marked at the opening ceremony and within the main exhibition areas at the World Pavilion and Taiwan Pavilion. The Expo leveraged AI-driven technologies to enhance the sensory experience and collaborated with Taiwan’s 14 counties and cities to curate exhibitions, allowing international participants to explore the diverse culture in Taiwan.
Director-General Shu-chen Hsu of the Secretariat, Taoyuan City Government highlighted that this is the city's first in-person interaction with its allied cities since the global pandemic. During their visit to Taiwan, the Secretariat arranged for the delegations to visit the city's major municipal projects such as the Hengshan Calligraphy Art Center, Taoyuan Land Art Festival, and Daxi Wood Art Ecomuseum. Not only has the visit helped enrich the delegations' understanding of Taoyuan, but it has also led to the development of more concrete plans for mutual exchanges in the future and built the momentum for Taoyuan's city diplomacy. It's worth noting that two performing groups from Taoyuan's friendship cities: the Choshi City Hane Daiko Group from Chiba Prefecture, Japan and the Handure Madang Performing Arts Group from Gumi City, Korea were invited to perform at the 2023 Hakka Expo. Both of these performing troupes showcased their distinct local traditional arts on the Stage of Tomorrow at the Expo from August 11 to 13, attracting local citizens to enjoy their captivating performances.