Taipei City Government

On the afternoon of March 26, Mayor Ko Wen-je and Utrecht vice-mayor Klaas Verschuure signed a Memorandum on Collaboration on Sustainable Development Goals at the 2019 Smart City Summit & Expo (SCSE).

In his address, Ko conveyed Taipei City Government’s concern and condolences for the tram attack in Utrecht last week, which prevented Utrecht mayor Jan van Zanen from heading his city’s delegation to attend the SCSE in Taipei.

Ko recalled that he was much impressed by van Zanen’s cordial reception and generous support during the visit of Taipei’s delegation to Utrecht in January 2018, which contributed greatly to the deepening of the friendship and collaboration between the two cities.

This trip is the first time for Verschuure to attend the SCSE in the capacity of vice-mayor leading a delegation of Dutch AI technology and the smart healthcare businesses. Mayor Ko also expressed his interest in learning more about the Utrecht experience in smart city development.

With regard to commonalities between Utrecht and Taipei, Mayor Ko pointed out that both cities are devoting significant effort and investments into the development and sustainable operation of smart cities, which they regard as both a condition and a result of their cities’ innovation and competitiveness. He expressed his hopes that during their visit to Taipei, Verschuure and his delegation would have fruitful meetings with government and business to identify areas of complementarity and collaboration in the future.

The mayor encouraged both sides to make the most of their discussions on smart cities, green public transportation, and smart cities. On behalf of both the Taipei City Government and local business community, Mayor Ko thanked the Dutch counterparts for signing the Memorandum on Collaboration on Sustainable Development Goals, and wished Verschuure and his delegation an enjoyable and fruitful stay in Taipei.

Ko then put his signature on the memorandum which had already been signed by Utrecht mayor Jan van Zanen back in the Netherlands. Taipei retained one copy, while Verschuure will deliver the Utrecht copy to his mayor upon his return to the Netherlands.

The Secretariat remarked that the Memorandum on Collaboration on Sustainable Development Goals signed by the two cities will support the localization of sustainability goals.

The memorandum specifically mentions the exchange of information and experiences in sustainable city development and the sharing of related experiences through the GO SMART global alliance of smart cities. Both cities will encourage their citizens, business communities, and research organizations to identify and seize opportunities for collaboration in this area.

Following the event, Mayor Ko led vice-mayor Verschuure and his delegation on a short city tour by YouBike, Taipei’s highly popular public bike rental system. At the YouBike docking station at MRT Dongmen station, Taipei city’s mascot bear Bravo greeted the Dutch mascot rabbit Miffy and guests with dancing and cuddles, to the delight of the guests and bystanders.