Dr. Juli Minoves, the classmate of Lin Chia-lung, the Mayor of Taichung City in the Ph.D. program at Yale, is currently the president of Liberal International. He arrived in Taichung earlier to visit Mayor Lin. In addition to the reunion with an old friend, they also discussed widely on the plan of constructing Taichung into an international non-governmental organization (INGO) center. Dr. Juli Minoves agreed with the idea of building Taichung into as an INGO, and promised to promote the works. Mayor Lin invited the Liberal International to set us a service point in Taichung by then. The discussion ended happily.

Dr. Juli Minoves also presented Mayor Lin with his advisor – Juan J. Linz’s book to reminiscence the mentoring of this democracy theorist back then. Mayor Lin said Taiwan and Liberal International share common values on democracy and human rights. It is possible for Taiwan to use these soft powers to break through the diplomatic barriers and approach the international arena. Dr. Juli Minoves also invited Mayor Lin to visit the Headquarters of Liberal International in London.

Mayor Lin expressed that CNN news network reported that Taichung is the most livable city in Taiwan because of its climate, culture, and diversity. Recently, Taichung will become the second largest city in Taiwan. It is also going to sponsor the 2018 International Flora Exposition, 2019 East Asian Youth Games, 2020 World Orchid Conference, and more. Seeking these opportunities, he will construct Taichung into a gala city.

In addition, the city government also promoted the plan of establishing an INGO center in Guanfu New Village in Wufeng, including office, conference, residential, and activity zones. It is expected to attract large international non-governmental organizations to reside there. It has now received support from the central government, and it will be an important milestone for Taiwan. Dr. Juli Minoves strongly agreed with the idea of constructing Taichung into an INGO center, and promised to help accomplish this plan.

Mayor Lin pointed out that the Taichung INGO center will provide related resources. More importantly Taichung is an important origin of Taiwan’s democracy. There had been democratic activities in Wefeng, the site of the future INGO center, since the Japanese rule. Therefore, it has significant historic values. He invited the Liberal International to set up a service point in Taichung, believing that it will secure the greatest help from the city government there.

Dr. Juli Minoves expressed that he visited Taiwan twice, but had never been to Taichung. He was glad to meet Mayor Lin. Taichung is a prosperous city, with the beautiful architecture as National Taichung Theater. The idea of setting up an INGO center in Taichung is terrific, and he will endeavor to help it accomplish this goal. He will bring the information back to the Liberal International to allow its members to learn about the matter. If it is possible, it will file an application at Taichung. He also invited Mayor Lin to visited the headquarters of Liberal International in London.

Lue Jen-der, the Director of the Social Affairs Bureau expressed that at present Taichung City Government has invited four kinds of INGO to reside in Taichung, including freedom, democracy, and human rights, environment and sustainable development, gender equality, and international humanitarian aid. In the plan, there are 282 premises for the establishment of offices and training centers. Many INGO expressed interests in setting up offices here, including the Freedom House in Washington, USA.

The Social Affairs Bureau expressed that the Liberal International was established in Oxford, United Kingdom in 1947. It is a political international federation for liberal political parties around the world. With its headquarters established in London, it is an important organization for linking liberal political parties and the development of liberal democratic system. Since 2014, Dr. Juli Minoves has been the president of Liberal International.