The sister city alliance between Taoyuan and Grenoble-Alpes Metropole (Grenoble) will officially be one year tomorrow (29th). The Grenoble delegation visited Taoyuan today. At the dinner party, representatives from both sides cut a cake to celebrate the anniversary. Taoyuan City Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan said that in the future, there will be more opportunities for cooperation in smart cities, biotechnology and medicine, startups, and tourism.
Mayor Cheng attended the 2019 Smart Moving+5G and Intelligent Logistics5.0 Summit that celebrates the anniversary of the alliance between “Europe’s Silicon Valley” Grenoble and Taoyuan that is currently developing “airport economics.” Mayor Cheng congratulated Mr. Christoph Ferrari, President of Grenoble, on the arrival of his newborn children, and hopes that exchanges in all areas between Taiwan and France will be closer in the future.
Director-General of Taoyuan City Government Secretariat Yen Tzu-chieh said that Grenoble has advanced development in high technology, new energies, and smart medicine, which are all areas Taoyuan can learn from. The French Tech, established by France, facilitates comprehensive networking for startups. At present, TY Commander and Andong Youth Startup Hub of the Department of Youth Affairs of Taoyuan City Government are both partners of French Tech Taiwan. Taoyuan City Government will continue to promote startups and enterprises to go global. Director-General Yen said that Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, located in Taoyuan, is a reputed world-class medical center and has a very strong smart medical team. He welcomes Grenoble to send a medical delegation for exchange next time.
Director-General Yen also mentioned that in June, France will host the Women’s World Cup. Soccer is a national sport in France and he wishes France the world champion. There are also many baseball and softball teams since Grenoble is a center for many U.S. enterprises. Baseball and softball are both beloved sports of Taoyuan citizens and therefore, he hopes that in the future, Taoyuan will form a team and exchange with Grenoble. In terms of education, Dayuan International Senior High School signed the sister school agreement with Argouges High School in France last year. In the future, the two schools will have a variety of exchange student projects.
Grenoble is known for walnuts and red wine. Director-General Yen gave the delegation Peach Beer brewed using San Kuan May Peaches from Taoyuan’s Fuxing District, a Jujube Beauty Gift Box, and a Jujube Essence Facial Mask Gift Box. He said that Taoyuan’s food processing factories’ combining “jujubes” and “walnuts” into one snack reflects the “close connection and friendship” of the two cities. He also took the opportunity and introduced the jujube tourism factory that is uniquely Taoyuan.
Director Veronique Pequignat said that the two cities signed the MOU last year, which set a solid foundation for city development and sustainable economy. The two cities have many similarities such as a young population, diverse cultures, and various tourist attractions. The two sides exchanged experience and opinions on smart cities and green energy application during this visit, and she hopes that in the future, there will be more exchanges in culture, tourism, and sports.
The Grenoble Delegation also visited the Department of Youth Affairs for a startup exchange meeting. The meeting gathered startups such as Center for Academia and Industry Collaboration of National Central University, TY Commander, Andong Youth Startup Hub, and Hsinming Youth Hub, and connected resources and economic links in AR, VR, and MR application technologies. The meeting yielded fruitful results for both parties in the field of innovation and startups.
Director of the International Actions of Invest in Grenoble-Alpes Veronique Pequignat shared her experience in city governance in the summit under the title “Smart Mobility and Transportation that Improves Air Quality.” Director Pequignat said that their goals in Grenoble are to establish a low carbon emission special district for the transportation and logistics industry, and to completely replace diesel engines by 2025. The city also encourages the purchase and rental of low-pollution vehicles, and encourages commuters to carpool.
Director-General Yen said that the smart mobility and transportation project in Grenoble is a city governance experience worth learning. He also plans to gradually change official vehicles of the city government to hybrid cars to make an effort to improve air quality worldwide.
In the afternoon, the delegation visited the Traffic Control Center of Taoyuan. Director-General Yen said that roadside devices such as etag and VD detect traffic flow, speed, and travel time. Real-time traffic information is made public via the application and content management system to motorists. The system also adjusts the seconds of traffic lights based on congestion and time in different blocks.
On Taoyuan City Government’s side, Taoyuan City Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan, Secretary-General Li Hsien-ming, Director-General of the Secretariat Yen Tzu-chieh, Director of the Department of Tourism Yang Sheng-ping, Director of the Department of Public Information Chan Ho-shun, Director of the Economic Development Kuo Yu-Hsin, and Director of the Department of Sports Chuang Chia-chia attended the events today. On the Grenoble Delegation’s side, Director of the International Actions of Invest in Grenoble-Alpes Veronique Pequignat, Director of the Europe and International Development of Minalogic Constance Motte, CEO of Cognidis Estelle Braillon, Data Scientist of Skopai Dr. Hamid Mirisaee, Ambassador in Asia of Invest in Grenoble Pascal Viaud, and General Manager in Greater China of Invest in Grenoble Mei-Ling Tsai attended today’s events.