Taipei City Government

On January 27, Mayor Ko Wen-je embarked on an 11-day trip to Europe with destinations including the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, and Turkey.
 
With Taiwan well on track to transform itself into a mature democracy, the island should look to Western Europe or North America for democratic lessons, Ko reckoned. He believes that the Netherlands, adopting the ideology of social democracy, serves as a more suitable role model to draw experience from. Visiting Holland has been on the agenda of his administration for the benefit of the island on long-term development, Ko remarked.


The second leg of the trip, Brussels of Belgium, was selected for being the de facto capital of the European Union. Taiwan should seek to further its ties with Europe, which holds as relevant a position as that of the United States, the mayor pointed out, adding that he will deliver a speech and pay a few visits to members of the European Parliament.

The next destination, Warsaw of Poland, was included in the city delegation’s itinerary as it is a sister city of Taipei, hence the need to promote city diplomacy. Ko said he hopes he has the opportunity to meet with the former Polish President Lech Walesa, who led Poland to democracy breaking free from the yoke of the Soviet Union.
 
The city delegation will wrap up its European journey in Turkey, where the mayor will discuss with local officials on the possibility of building a mosque in Taipei, a proposal submitted by the Turkish government earlier. Ko suggested establishing an Islamic Cultural Center instead. The details of the plan have yet to be finalized.