On October 5th, New Taipei City held the “2023 New Taipei City-U.S. Multi-City Cultural, Educational, and Economic Cooperation Launch Press Conference,” marking the signing of Memorandums of Understanding with 5 U.S. cities. The event aimed to foster cooperation in local cultural and art industries, educational resources, and economic and trade relations, drawing mayors and representatives from each partnering city to also participate in the “2023 Taiwan Design Expo.”

Deputy Mayor Liou, Her-Ran celebrated the event by gifting the distinguished guests the “WELCOME Rabbit.” With its ears attentively raised and gold ingots held gracefully in both hands, the rabbit epitomizes welcome and heartfelt congratulations. City Representatives exchanged emblems, flags, and keys as tokens of their newly forged partnerships. Together, they declared the beginning of a multicultural and shared prosperity journey for New Taipei City on an international scale.

Highlighting past collaborations, Deputy Mayor Liou mentioned the twin-city initiative with Cupertino, a technology hub in in the heart of Silicon Valley, California, from 2021, aiming at nurturing technical elites and facilitating youth exchanges, especially those on digital learning and industrial collaboration. He also referenced New Taipei City’s participation in the “Global Culture Festival” in Aurora, Colorado, showcasing the city’s cultural and diplomatic prowess. He anticipates working with cities in the United States to proactively broaden its reach in the international market, aiming to realize mutual advantages in the future.

Earlier in April 2023, the city unveiled its “New Taipei City International Education White Paper,” establishing a platform for school international exchanges while integrating resources from more than 100 industries, governments, and civic societies. Schools in New Taipei City are forging strategic partnerships with school districts in the U.S., which facilitate both in-person and virtual interactions, promoting cross-border educational exchanges and fostering mutual visits among educators and students. The objective is to cultivate an international campus environment and pair every primary and secondary school in New Taipei City with an international counterpart by 2030. It is expected that the pedagogical experiences of our educators and students align with global standards.

The press conference welcomed several U.S. dignitaries, including Mayor Kookie Fitzsimmons of Saratoga, Mayor Hung Wei of Cupertino, and representatives from Aurora, Colorado, Johns Creek, Georgia, and Holmdel, New Jersey. Invitations were also extended to Patrick Ho, Senior Executive Officer of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Republic of China, and Arend Zwartjes, Public Diplomacy Section Chief of American Institute in Taiwan, as well as many other notable figures and overseas community leaders.

Furthermore, along with the launch event, New Taipei City also scheduled visits for the international partners to Baogao Intelligent Industrial Park and Jhangshu International Creative Technical High School. Chen, Haw-Ran, the Principal of Jhangshu, believed that fostering exchanges between teachers and students and pursuing international experiences is a prevailing aspiration of numerous educational institutions. The Memorandum of Understanding, signed for educational collaboration with prominent cities in both the eastern and western United States, will significantly bolster the school’s international engagements and broaden the global perspectives of both educators and pupils. There will be an enhancement of cross-border learning opportunities for educators and students alike, through pragmatic collaborations in the ensuing years.

The Education Department expressed its commitment to deepening ties with U.S. cities in terms of culture, education and economy by signing the MOUs. Their hope is to elevate New Taipei City’s international stature, fostering diverse and beneficial collaborations with educational institutions in the U.S.. The partnership seeks to provide a robust platform for cross-border educational exchanges, allowing the educational journey of teachers and students to sail in harmony with the world’s tides.