桃園市政府秘書處

Taoyuan City Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan visited the United States from July 6 to July 17, 2019. On the morning of July 8 (US time), Mayor Cheng visited Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins at the county government for his first stop. Mayor Cheng said that Taoyuan City and Dallas County signed the sister city agreement in 2007; the airports of the two cities are also sister airports, and the rapid transit companies are sister companies. Taoyuan and Dallas share many things in common; for instance, the two cities are both transportation hubs and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is one of the largest airports in the United States. Taoyuan is actively promoting the Aerotropolis project. Mayor Cheng expressed his hope of facilitating more exchange with Dallas in areas such as transportation, industry development, culture, and education. Mayor Cheng also stated that it has been eight years since County Judge Clay Jenkins last visited Taoyuan. During this visit, Mayor Cheng took the opportunity and invited Jenkins to Taiwan in the hope that the two cities can enjoy a long and lasting friendship and create more possibilities.

On the second stop, Mayor Cheng visited the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART). The Taoyuan Metro Corporation signed the sister company agreement with DART in 2011. CEO Gary C. Thomas of DART has been in Taiwan three times and has visited the Taiwan High Speed Rail, Taoyuan Metro, and Taipei Metro Systems during his trips. Thomas is especially interested in the connection between metro networks in the airport and the metropolitan area. During the meeting, the two parties had an in-depth discussion on how to maintain high-quality services while keeping the price affordable, and how to integrate different transportation systems in cities. Mayor Cheng said that Taoyuan and Dallas face many common challenges, including issues such as green transportation, environmental protection, and system integration. He hopes that in the future, Taoyuan will have more interactions and exchange with DART.

In the evening, Mayor Cheng was invited to the welcome banquet hosted by the Greater Dallas Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce (GDTCC). Mayor Cheng pointed out that Taoyuan is the center of Taiwan’s air transport whereas Dallas is also the center of US air transport. EVA Air, China Airlines, and the upcoming Starlux Airlines all look forward to utilizing the Dallas Airport as a hub airport to enter the United States. Mayor Cheng said that when he returns to Taiwan, he will convey the expectations of overseas Taiwanese communities to airline companies and he hopes to realize direct flights between the two cities. In addition, Mayor Cheng expressed his joy of seeing mayors and former mayors from when they signed the sister city agreements with Taoyuan. He hopes that in the future, bilateral relationship can be deepened. He would also like to thank GDTCC for their effort in the Greater Dallas Area in the past thirty years and hopes that in addition to governmental exchange, economic exchange and cooperation in the private sector can also be facilitated. Participants in the welcome banquet included President Suzanne Chen of GDTCC,
Director Helene Lee of GDTCC Sister City Committee, Honorary Chair Dr. Charles Ku, and Director General Peter Chen of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston.