Taipei Travel

City Mission to Embark on Visit to US on March 8

Mayor Ko Wen-je will be leading a delegation comprising government officials and business representatives on a trip to the United States—the first such trip since he assumed office. The delegation, to depart on March 8, will visit San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles before returning on March 18.

The mayor will meet mayors of San Francisco and Phoenix, which established sister city ties with Taipei in 1970 and 1979, respectively. A meeting will also be arranged between Ko and Raymond F. Burghardt, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) during his stay in the US.

According to Taipei City Government Spokesperson Lin He-ming, the trip aims to learn more about the industry development of Silicon Valley while seeking to bolster relationship with the three cities.

The city government will host a forum at the tech hub, where Mayor Ko will deliver an address and share his experience in the implementation of smart cities among other innovative policies with city mayors from the San Francisco Bay Area. The Taipei-Silicon Valley Night event will also provide a matchmaking platform for business opportunities between entrepreneurs from the two sides.

The itinerary of the Taipei delegation also includes three prestigious universities—Standard University, California Institute of Technology, and University of California, Los Angeles. In addition, Ko will attend briefings and visit facilities regarding San Francisco’s green energy and disaster prevention measures as well as Los Angeles’ approaches to operating multi-purpose stadiums and holding MICE events.

As a way of expressing goodwill while serving to marketing the city’s creative products, the mayor will bring digital printing paintings and rollerball pens as presents for the dignitaries he will be meeting.