Facebook
Twitter
LINE
Japan, Katrina Chen, MLA of British Columbia in Canada and other guests visited Taichung City Government today (14th). They were welcomed by Deputy Mayor Bruce Linghu on behalf of Mayor Shiow-yen Lu. Deputy Mayor Linghu commented that Hoshihara Toru is a veteran leader in the prefectural assembly who has strived to forge a mutual long-term relationship between Taiwan and Japan. As a Taiwan native born in Taichung, Katrina Chen is the first ever Taiwanese MLA in British Columbia, making her the Glory of Taichung. It is hoped that Katrina Chen will facilitate future collaborations between Taichung and British Columbia.
Deputy Mayor Bruce Linghu met with Miyazaki Prefectural Assembly and National Association of Councilors for Taiwan-Japan Friendship Speaker Hoshihara Toru, Miyazaki Prefectural Assembly Councilor Mitsuyoshi Euchidani, and Association of Understanding Japan Secretariat Pi-chun Wang this morning to discuss agendas such as Taichung flora expo, elementary school baseball, cycling, and gourmet specialty products.
According to Deputy Mayor Linghu, Hoshihara Toru is a senior leader in the prefectural assembly who has dedicated himself to promoting Taiwan-Japan relations, and for that he is extremely thankful for. Miyazaki Prefecture is located close to Taiwan, offering an outstanding geographic environment and abundant resources, therefore it will be in both parties’ best interest to forge a long-term relationship between Miyazaki and Taichung, as it will no doubt foster developments in tourism, education, economy, and cultural exchange. Taichung is currently hosting the World Flora Expo, and friends from Miyazaki Prefecture are welcome to visit Taichung to attend the extravaganza.
Hoshihara Toru suggested that in promoting friendly relations between Taiwan and Japan, the National Association of Councilors for Taiwan-Japan Friendship was founded in 2006. Last year, nearly 200 members of the association visited Taichung during the opening ceremony of the Taichung World Flora Expo, and more than 40 elementary students and their parents from Miyazaki Prefecture visited Taiwan this time round to attend the baseball competition between Taiwan and Japan organized by Zhong Shan Elementary School in Hsinchu County. Both parties exchanged experiences in baseball, hoping to build a sound foundation for bilateral exchanges.
Furthermore, Katrina Chen, MLA of British Columbia and a women’s and children’s welfare activist, also visited Deputy Mayor Linghu this morning. MLA in Canada may bring toddlers less than 2 years of age with them to work; this not only encourages women to engage in politics but also allow children to become familiar with national affairs. MLA Chen brought her 5-year-old child along for the meeting in support of children’s education.
As a former Republic of China (Taiwan) Representative and de facto ambassador to Canada, Deputy Mayor Linghu is familiar with the country’s geography and political-economic situation, thus seeing MLA Chen is like meeting an old friend, and both of them chatted enthusiastically. According to him, MLA Chan was not only elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the first time she ran for office, but she was also elected as the first Taiwanese Minister of State (Childcare) of British Columbia, a truly remarkable achievement. MLA Chen’s father was too a former Taichung City Councilor who remains active in the political scene. Both of them are passionate about public affairs. Featuring outstanding welfare policies, Vancouver, Canada has been ranked as one of the world's most livable cities, and it is hoped that MLA Chen will share more of Canada’s social welfare policies with Taichung.
According to MLA Chen, children are our future. In Canada, children under 2 years old may enter the legislative assembly to learn about national affairs, because the country places great emphasis on children’s education. British Columbia already approved a budget last year to implement the childcare service plan, and there are more than 30 projects to be implemented this year. By paying a visit to the city government this time, MLA Chen hopes to learn from Taiwan’s child care policies including kindergarten subsidy, child care center service quota, and the establishment of public and private kindergartens etc. in order to improve the child care environment in British Columbia.
According to Chief Secretary of the Education Bureau Jing-yi Huang, for toddlers aged between 0 and 2 In Taichung, child day care centers are available, while kindergartens are provided for children between the ages of 2 and 6. The city government’s current child day care and education policy include training day care specialists, subsidizing the parents’ kindergarten expenses, checking old school buildings, and quasi-public kindergartens. The policies aim to reduce the parents’ costs and create a three-win situation for the children, parents and daycare specialists.