Taipei City Government

Mayor Ko Wen-je met with a delegation from the Irish parliament at city hall on January 14, marking his first meeting with foreign dignitaries since assuming office.
The delegation, led by Chairman John McGuinness of the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Society, comprised members from the House of Representatives of the Republic of Ireland.
Ko extended a warm welcome to the visitors and shared with the guests the philosophy of his administration—“change, be yourself, and do what you want to do today.” The dignitaries, on the other hand, expressed their interest in how the mayor managed to win the mayoral election with a landslide victory.

According to McGuinness, this is his fourth trip to the island, and the first time for the other members of the delegation to visit Taipei. The Irish lawmakers were impressed with Taipei’s advanced medical environment, garbage disposal measures, and the laudable clean MRT network.
He pointed out that a number of delegation members have served as heads of local municipalities, and they found the city’s experience to be invaluable and can serve as a source of reference for Ireland. He also looks forward to establishing closer ties between the Asian city and the North-west European country.