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A milestone of Taiwan-US city diplomacy: signing of sister-city agreement between Taoyuan and Newark

  • 發布單位:國際事務科
  • 聯絡人:Kai-Yuan Chang
  • 聯絡人電話:03-3322101#6501

Taoyuan and Newark unveiled a new chapter for Taiwan-US city diplomacy. Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan of Taoyuan City and Mayor Ras Baraka of Newark City co-hosted an online sister-city agreement signing ceremony on August 3. Newark City is Taoyuan's 15th sister city in the eastern U.S. since Mayor Cheng took office.

“The City of Newark is a major city of the State of New Jersey and a sea and air transport hub in the eastern U.S.; therefore, it is exciting to forge a sister-city tie with the City of Newark at a moment when Taiwan-US relations reached a new height.” as stated by Mayor Cheng.

As two important international transport hubs that boast industrial strengths in aviation, sea transportation, warehousing, and logistics, both Taoyuan and Newark pursue values of diversity, openness, and economic opportunities for their citizens. Mayor Cheng hopes that the two cities will engage in more exchange and collaboration for the development of their airports, economies, culture, and tourism. He also looks forward to the possibility of a direct flight to make it easier to travel back and forth between the two cities.

“As Taiwan and the U.S. resumed TIFA talks in June this year, various committees have begun to form following the multiple consensuses reached in the talks that will facilitate more bilateral exchanges.” according to Mayor Cheng. He hopes that the two cities will have physical visits soon after the pandemic is over to explore more areas of bilateral collaboration.

“The City of Newark is honored to establish a sister-city tie with Taoyuan, a major international airport hub like Newark, and gain another loyal friend in Asia.” as Mayor Baraka stated. He believes that the two cities are bound to enjoy better development through mutual learning and help. He also thanked Taoyuan for choosing Newark, a city with a seaport and an international airport, as its first sister city in the eastern U.S. and welcomed Taoyuan to be a part of the big family of Newark.

Vice President Luis A. Quintana of Newark City Council stressed that the city council will lend more support to the collaboration between the two cities in the future. As Newark and Taoyuan are both critical sea and land hubs, he believes that the two sister cities will usher in more collaboration and exchange in the fields of sea and air transportation as well as technological development under the leadership of the two mayors.

Bounded by the shared values of democracy, freedom, and equality, Taiwan and the U.S. support each other and foster a robust relationship during the COVID-19 pandemic. Director-general Douglas Hsu of MOFA's Department of North American Affairs said “I was delighted to witness the signing of a sister-city agreement between the two cities and believed the city-to-city diplomacy will help further Taiwan-US collaborations in different fields.”

“The saying of good things come in pairs is best exemplified in the two cities' sister-city tie as their many similarities delineate a very specific blueprint for bilateral exchange,” added by Director-general James Lee of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York. “I look forward to assisting the two cities' future exchange.”

Mayor Cheng presented a cement craft to Mayor Baraka as a gift in commemoration of the two cities' sister-city agreement signing at the end of the ceremony. The cement craft takes the shape of a crossing string with emblems of Taoyuan and Newark printed on both ends, symbolizing the two cities at the two sides of the Pacific Ocean connected by similarities.