Japan-Taiwan Friendship Wakayama City Council Members Union delegation visited Mayor Chen Qimai to talk about Taiwan-Japan friendship and municipal exchanges.

(Photographed by reporter Wang Rongxiang)

[Reporter Wang Rongxiang/Kaohsiung Report] Chairman Fujio Endo of the Japan-Taiwan Friendship Wakayama City Council Council Members Alliance, and Councilor Naoki Inoue, Secretary-General, paid a special visit to the Kaohsiung City Government today. This is the first time Mayor Chen Qimai has received a physical delegation from Japan after the epidemic , the two sides exchanged views on various levels of the two cities, and Chen Qimai also proposed the establishment of sister cities.

The Administration and International Office of Gao City pointed out that the Japanese delegation, accompanied by Councilor-elects such as Kang Yucheng, Jian Huanzong, and Li Yuting, visited the city government to discuss the relationship between Taiwan and Japan, and to promote education, tourism, industry and issues of cultural exchange.

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Chen Qimai recalled the Taiwan-Japan Exchange Summit hosted by the Gao City Council in 2018. He had attended and interacted with Wakayama City Councilors at that time. It shows that the favorite country of Taiwanese is Japan.

He mentioned that Ambassador Hsieh Chang-ting, the representative to Japan, also served as the mayor of Kaohsiung. During his tenure, he actively assisted the exchanges between the local governments of Taiwan and Japan. During the next four-year term, Kaohsiung City will continue to cooperate with the central government to promote exchanges between Taiwan and Japan.

Chen Qimai said that the Takayama City Council and the Wakayama City Council became sister councils in June 2018. If there is an opportunity in the future, he also hopes to promote the establishment of sister cities between Wakayama City and Kaohsiung City, so that the relationship between the two parties will be deeper. Through the establishment of sister schools, or educational exchanges such as graduation trips and mutual visits, the friendship between the two parties can be established from the youth.

Councilor Endo first congratulated Chen Qimai for his re-election, and thanked Kaohsiung for attaching importance to the friendship with Wakayama. In 2018, with the support of Kaohsiung City Council, the two city councils became sister councils, and the two sides also established a deep relationship like family members caring for each other.

During this trip, I visited the main library of Kaohsiung Municipal Library. I was deeply impressed by the combination of the library with hotels and cafes. I also pointed out that the Wakayama Citizen’s Library, which was established 2 years ago in the city, has the same purpose. I hope that in the future, the libraries of the two cities will be able to exchange and share their operations. Give experience or books to each other.

Councilor Endo also thanked Chen Qimai for his proposal to establish a sister city relationship between the two cities, which will be conveyed to the Wakayama City Government for discussion, and hopes to continue to promote Taiwan-Japan relations as a member of the parliament.

Chen Qimai introduced that Kaohsiung City is investing in the development of smart cities, 5G AIoT, semiconductor manufacturing and other industries and digital transformation. If there is an opportunity, he also hopes to communicate with Wakayama City on issues such as economic and trade investment and industrial development, and continue to deepen the relationship between the two cities.

The Kaohsiung City Hall will take a group photo with the Japan-Taiwan Friendship Wakayama City Council Members Alliance delegation.

(Photographed by reporter Wang Rongxiang)

Mayor Chen Qimai presented a gift box of Liugui chessboard tea to Mr. Fujio Endo.

(Photographed by reporter Wang Rongxiang)