Taipei City Government

Mayor Ko Wen-je met with the director of the American Institute of Taiwan (AIT) Sandra Oudkirk at city hall in the morning of August 30. The new director assumed her role as the head of the institution in mid-July.
 
Accompanied by Deputy Mayor Huang Shan-shan, Deputy Mayor Tsai Ping-kun, Secretary-general Chen Chih-ming, Commissioner of International Relations Tom Chou, and Deputy Director for External Affairs Adam Yi, the mayor welcomed the AIT delegation which included Director Oudkirk, Deputy Director Jeremy Cornforth, and 2 other officials.
 
To provide Director Oudkirk with a better understanding of the city government, Commissioner Chou organized a presentation on Taipei’s major policies and accomplishments. Both Director Oudkirk and Commissioner Chou are experienced diplomats and served stints as officials to APEC.
 
During the meeting, the two sides discussed topics ranging from post-pandemic industry development to education to cooperation on cultural issues. Director Oudkirk believes that Taiwan’s hi-tech development – especially in the field of semiconductors – play an important role in the global supply chain. Taipei City also takes the lead in the promoting smart cities and smart education. She encourages Taipei City Government to strengthen its relationship with sister cities to support the development of science and nurturing of future tech talents.
 
In light of COVID-19, there has been a significant downturn in the global economy in 2020. To improve its global competitiveness, Taipei City published the “Taipei City Post-pandemic Era Digital Transformation Policy White Papers” in February of 2021. The mayor presented a copy to the AIT director, and promised to deliver the new edition when released in December. Director Oudkirk expressed her gratitude to the mayor and remarked that digital transformation is quite a challenge.
 
The mayor also expressed his interest in visiting the US once the pandemic subsides, hoping to strengthen relations between Taipei and other major US cities.