Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan of Taoyuan city and Mayor Ras Baraka of Newark City in the United States held an online meeting to discuss the impact of the global pandemic and issues related to smart airport, smart city, and smart industries. Both home to an international airport, Taoyuan and Newark are dedicated to the development of a green economy. The two mayors gave blessings to each other at the end of the online meeting and expressed their desire to have more exchanges moving forward.
“Taoyuan has the highest industrial output in Taiwan and is now actively promoting the country’s projects of Asian Silicon Valley Project and Taoyuan Aerotropolis. The Taoyuan Aerotropolis project has attracted aviation related industries such as maintenance and repair as well as manufacturing to Taoyuan city. In the future, the aerotropolis will see growing presence of warehousing, logistics, or E-commerce operators that will help maximize the benefits of airport economics.” said Mayor Cheng.
“In addition to its industrial development, Taoyuan also has the youngest population among the six major municipalities in Taiwan. Taoyuan’s diverse ethnic groups and inclusive environment as well as the city’s subsidies for newborn babies and childcare have attracted many young families to move to the city. The population of Taoyuan has increased by nearly 210,000 people since I took office six years ago.” said Mayor Cheng.
“The densely populated Newark is the largest city adjacent to the city of New York. It is a major hub for air traffic, road transportation, railway, and shipping that connects the New York metropolitan area, the central US, and the other side of the Atlantic. The city also has a fast-growing population and diverse ethnic groups.” said Mayor Baraka.
“As the global pandemic continues to spread, Newark is facing great challenges of COVID-19. The city government has urged its citizens to wear face masks and maintained social distance in order to prevent another coronavirus spread. Some hotels are also beginning to provide their venues as accommodation shelters.” said Mayor Baraka.
“Taoyuan, as the gateway city of Taiwan, is the country’s frontline against the global pandemic crisis. Therefore, the city has adopted measures for swift response, pandemic surveillance, and border control with three protection networks at the national border, hospitals, and local communities to contain the spread of the coronavirus. With Taiwan’s pandemic control measures that trace inbound passengers’ TOCC (Travel, Occupation, Contact, and Cluster) history for accurate information, the country has not issued any lockdown orders or nationwide screening and testing.” said Mayor Cheng.
In the discussion of future exchanges between the two cities, Mayor Cheng suggested that the two cities can learn from each other in areas of airport economics including the planning for an airport city, smart warehousing and logistics system, and the development of transport systems since both Taoyuan and Newark are major international transportation and cargo hubs. “With our highly developed industries, both cities put an emphasis on the balance between environmental sustainability and economic development as well as infrastructure enhancement. Taoyuan has received numerous accolades for its policies to ensure environmental sustainability, while Newark has formulated the redevelopment plan for its port industrial district. I believe that the two cities can collaborate in areas of environmental protection and renewable energy.” said Mayor Cheng.
“Newark is the pioneer in the development of a smart city. The free Wi-Fi kiosks on the streets of Newark not only provide Wi-Fi services and charging facilities for the citizens but also allow users to browse maps and real-time information of the city,” said Mayor Baraka. “With the pilot run of “NewarkGo” E-bike/scooter sharing services expected to be launched this spring, the city hopes to create pedestrian-friendly communities with vitality and free people from their dependence on cars for mobility in their daily life, shopping, work, and leisure activities.”
“Taoyuan has issued the country’s largest number of citizen cards which integrate functions of transportation token, electronic wallet, and library card to facilitate smart living for the citizens. The city also enjoys the highest number of E-scooters and charging stations in Taiwan,” said Mayor Cheng. “More than 16,000 Wi-Fi hotspots are installed in the city. Meanwhile, the city continues its support to technological innovation by establishing youth startup hubs such as the Asia Silicon Valley Innovative R&D Center, Hutoushan Innovation Hub, Chung Yuan Christian University Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center, and Youshi International Youth Entrepreneur Village & Motor Silicon Valley Park.”
“The two cities share many similarities and would love to see the two cities’ future collaboration extending from their clear focus on areas of future exchanges.” said James K. J. Lee, Ambassador of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York. “I hope to lend our support from the private sector to facilitate the investment and interaction opportunities between the two cities.” said Jason Cheng, Vice President of the Taiwan Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.
At the end of the meeting, Mayor Cheng wrote, “Taoyuan is helping” on a message board to Mayor Baraka, who, in return, wrote, “We are Newark strong. We will emerge from this pandemic together.” Both mayors hope to strengthen the bilateral cooperation after the pandemic abates and deepen the partnership between Taiwan and the US.
After the online meeting, Mayor Cheng expressed his heartfelt appreciation to the New Jersey General Assembly for passing the resolution in support of Taiwan, a closer US-Taiwan economic and trade partnership, and the signing of a bilateral trade agreement in addition to its reaffirmation of its support of Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations such as the WHO.
“Taoyuan has continued its support for cities that it has maintained friendly ties across the world. On the eve of last Christmas, the city government, along with the help of local face mask manufacturer Champak, donated N95 face masks to the city of Newark,” said Yen Tzu-chieh, Director-general of the Secretariat. “On the other hand, Taiwan’s fight against the coronavirus over the past year has placed a heavy burden on healthcare professionals, who also share the work of epidemic prevention at the first line against the global pandemic. I hope to garner public support and appreciation for these frontline heroes.”