Canadian Trade Office in Taipei Executive Director Jordan Reeves and company visited Taichung City Hall today (25th), and the entourage was welcomed by Deputy Mayor Bruce Linghu on behalf of Mayor Shiow-yen Lu. According to Deputy Mayor Linghu, Taiwan and Canada have formed a close relationship. For example, Bombardier Inc., the largest aircraft manufacturer in Canada, is the most important client of AIDC, Taiwan's leading manufacturer in the aerospace industry. Furthermore, Taiwan and Canada are engaging in exchanges on multiple fronts such as culture, economy, and trade. In the future, it is hoped to facilitate further collaborations.

Deputy Mayor Linghu received Canadian Trade Office in Taipei Executive Director Jordan Reeves, General Relations Director Michael McCulloch, Trade and Investment Deputy Director Julia Buss accompanied by Deputy Director of Cultural Affairs Bureau Chun-fu Shih and Agriculture Bureau Senior Specialist Hsien-min Chou. Both parties traded opinions in topics such as the technology industry, produce marketing and arts and cultural activities. They also exchanged souvenirs with each other.

According to Deputy Mayor Linghu, as a former diplomat at the Department of North American Affairs, MOFA, he held close interactions with Canada in his line of work. His achievements when as the Director General of the Department of North American Affairs include visa exemption for holders of ROC passports entering Canada, and numerous bilateral collaboration projects. He also visited many places in Canada, therefore he is glad to welcome delegates from the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei to visit Taichung.

Taichung is currently hosting the World Flora Expo, and Canada is also a proactive participating nation. Global AsianInteractive Youth Association from Canada entered the international garden competition with the theme of “Landscape of Canada – Lakeside Snow House”. The snow-covered cottage is adorned with mysterious coniferous forest to re-create fairytale-like scenery that proved to be very popular among visitors. It has become one of the most well-known check-in spots in the flora expo, and the Deputy Mayor also invited the delegates to visit the flora expo.

According to Jordan Reeves, there have been frequent interactions between Taiwan and Canada, and an increasing number of Taichung citizens are visiting Canada. Besides tourism interactions, Canada also hopes to forge more diverse cooperation with Taichung including high-technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), as well as promoting agricultural products. He believes these programs will further enhance the relationship between Taiwan and Canada in the future.

In light of this, Development Bureau Director General Ssu-hsiang Kao commented that Taichung is the hub of the precision machinery industry in Taiwan, with many companies having established their factories in the city. He also hopes to get in touch with foreign countries more often to foster more development opportunities. Agriculture Bureau Senior Specialist Chou mentioned that the city's Agriculture Bureau assembled a team in January last year to market mandarin orange in Vancouver, and recently it has assisted Waipu Farmers' Association to successfully market dragon fruit in a supermarket chain in Toronto, in turn developing an export channel for specialty agricultural products in Taichung. It is hoped to market more agricultural products such as alpine tea from Lishan in conjunction with local supermarkets this year.

Jordan Reeves welcomed his proposal, and Deputy Mayor Linghu also mentioned that the city hall will provide a liaison officer to facilitate negotiations between Taichung and Canada in regards to various types of collaborations, so as to streamline the bilateral interactions.

In addition, Deputy Director of Cultural Affairs Bureau Chun-fu Shih indicated that the Taichung City Da Dun Fine Arts Exhibition Cultural Exchange Exhibition was held in Vancouver, Canada last year, which proved to be very popular among the local Chinese community and artists. From March 20 to April 4 this year, Western Canada Taiwanese Artist Society (WCTAS) will be hosting a members' joint exhibition at the ground floor courtyard of Huizhong Building, Taichung City Hall. Approximately 50 artworks will be exhibited, and an invitation is extended to everyone to attend the exhibition to appreciate the exhibits. Furthermore, Taichung City organizes the Taichung Jazz Festival every year, and Canadian artists are welcome to join the grand gathering.

In light of this, Canadian Trade Office in Taipei General Relations Director Michael McCulloch suggested that many Canadian artists and performers have attended the Taipei Gypsy Jazz Festival, and he expects them to participate in Taichung Jazz Festival in the future.