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Apart from meeting movers and shakers in Los Angeles City Hall, Chinese expat community, and business, Deputy Mayor Linghu also attended sister city San Diego's 250th anniversary, as well as the 40th anniversary of sister city relationship between Taichung City and Tucson. He also traveled to Phoenix to visit the city of Scottsdale. In these 4 cities, Deputy Mayor Linghu presented a speech entitled the City of Affluence – Taichung's Outlook, introducing the investment environment in Taichung and its policies on attracting investment. He also promoted the Taichung Shopping Festival, 2020 World University Golf Championship, 2020 Taiwan Lantern Festival, and 2020 World Orchid Conference, inviting them to participate in the exhibitions and visit Taichung.
Deputy Mayor Linghu met with Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Nina Hachigian at the Los Angeles City Hall. He also visited big data firm Taboola's VP Ning-ning Yu, Tireco President and CEO Justin Liu, H.C. Foods Co., Ltd., Taiwanese-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Los Angeles, Taiwan Hotel Motel Association of Southern California, Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of Los Angeles President Peter Luong, Bowers Museum Hsiu-chi Liu, and Sunrider Headquarters. During his visit, he attended the Taichung Day celebration in Southern California, Taichung Cup Friendly Golf Tournament opening and award ceremony. Other important political figures and Chinese expat leaders he met with include: Rep. Judy Chu, California State Senator Ling-ling Chang, California State Assembly Member Edwin Chau, Los Angeles West Covina City Councilman Tony Wu, and City of Cerritos Mayor Grace Hu.
In San Diego, besides presenting a speech at the welcoming banquet held by the Chinese expat community, Deputy Linghu also paid a visit to San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher and his team, as well as Councilman Chris Cate of San Diego City Council. He also paid his respects to 9 other councilmen in the city council. At the beginning of the council meeting, Councilman Chris Cate introduced Deputy Mayor Linghu of sister city Taichung and other city hall delegates; Deputy Mayor Linghu met with Mayor Kevin Faulconer at the San Diego City Hall and participated in the city's 250th anniversary banquet, where the host and Mayor Kevin Faulconer both mentioned Deputy Mayor Linghu of sister city Taichung and other city hall representatives to the guests, thereby increasing media coverage and international exposure.
In Phoenix, Deputy Mayor Linghu joined a breakfast meeting with Scottsdale Deputy Mayor Suzanne Klapp, Economic Development Director Rob Millar, and Tourism Sales Manager Emily Wininger. Both parties exchanged opinions on friendship city topics such as economy, trade, tourism, and culture. Thereafter, he visited the Scottsdale City Hall and Council and presented a speech at the welcoming lunch held by the Chinese expat community in Phoenix, where he introduced Taichung's outstanding investment environment, as well as the city's high-tech, precision machinery, aerospace, and bicycle industry. His speech received a big round of applause from the Chines expats, Scottsdale Deputy Mayor Klapp, and councilmen. Deputy Mayor Klapp indicated that she will visit Taichung City with a team of representatives at the end of the year, and she also expressed her intentions of forging a friendship city relationship with Taichung City.
In Tucson, Deputy Mayor Linghu presented a speech to introduce Taichung's investment and economic development policy of Free Trade, High Technology, and Logistics Center; furthermore, coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the sister city relationship between Taichung and Tucson, Tucson City Hall and Tucson Taichung Sister City Association co-hosted the Taichung Day celebration at the city hall conference room, where a diverse selection of agricultural products from farmers' associations throughout Taichung were exhibited, including mushroom crisps, spring onion crackers, red pearl barley powder, sweet potato meal, date and walnut cake, taro crisps, Lishan tea, as well as renowned Taichung pastries such as sun cake and pineapple cake, etc.
Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothchild, Deputy Mayor Shirley C. Scott, and City Manager Michael J. Ortega also attended and stayed for the full duration of the celebration to exchange opinions on tourism, travel, and sister city collaborations with Deputy Mayor Linghu and other Taichung City representatives. Later, Deputy Mayor Linghu headed to Pima Community College to visit the Aviation Technology and Culinary Arts Department. According to him, Pima Community College will serve as an excellent platform for educational exchanges between students in Taichung and Tucson.
During the visit, Deputy Mayor Linghu and delegates vigorously introduced Taichung's advantages in tourism, investment, smart city, precision machinery, green transport, Taichung Shopping Festival, educational and cultural exchanges to the mayors, deputy mayors, county supervisor, city manager, councilmen of Taichung's sister cities and friendship cities as well as Chinese expat leaders, and Chinese expats. Additionally, he also invited the sister cities to participate in the 2020 Taiwan Lantern Festival and 2020 World Orchid Conference, and he too exchanged experiences in politics and city administration with them in hopes of forging future collaborations.
At the end of his US visit, Deputy Mayor Linghu commented that it was well worth the effort, and he hopes that the diverse dialogues between Taichung City and the 4 American cities will enable Taichung to obtain an international perspective and be seen by the global community. In other words, the trip helped to materialize Taichung's city diplomacy and cemented the relationship between Taichung, its sister cities and friendship cities. Sister cities should signify more than the forging of friendship between 2 cities, there must be substantial interaction in order to make the relationship more meaningful. Regular bilateral visits between sister cities can enhance mutual understanding and knowledge, thereby achieving the goal interaction and mutual benefit. He extended his invitation to the sister cities and friendship cities to visit Taichung one day.
