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Deputy Mayor Wang indicated that and expressed gratitude to the New Zealand search and rescue team for coming to Taichung for rescue efforts while the 921 Earthquake occurred in Taiwan in 1999. Both sides jointly held a mutual visit and exchange event for fire personnel in Taiwan and New Zealand in 2019, establishing a mechanism for fire professional training and disaster prevention and relief exchange between the two cities to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 921 Earthquake. Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand and also the industrial and commercial center of New Zealand, while Taichung is a settlement for Taiwan's precision machinery technology industry. Taiwan and New Zealand became Taiwan's 12th largest trading partner after signing the ANZTEC (Agreement between New Zealand and the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu on Economic Cooperation) in 2013. Taiwan is also New Zealand's primary market for cherry exports. The city government aims to foster further cooperation and explore additional opportunities for cooperation.
Deputy Mayor Wang emphasized Mayor Lu strong commitment to education, and encourages schools at all levels in Taichung to establish partnerships with foreign schools. There are 51 schools in Taichung City and 130 sister schools in 17 countries worldwide. These include three New Zealand schools (Owairoa Elementary School, Heretaunga College, and Onehunga High School). The city government hopes to have more interactions in international education. Regarding transportation construction and development, Taichung is the second-largest city in Taiwan, and the city government is actively implementing low-carbon and energy-saving policies. In promoting policies such as electric buses and developing intelligent transportation platforms, the city government also hopes to share relevant experiences with Auckland City.
Deputy Mayor Wang highlighted that Taichung is renowned for its festivals and is currently hosting a Christmas Carnival. The Taichung Shopping Festival is also in progress. Log in to the APP for a chance to win big prizes. Delegation members are welcome to come and enjoy it and spend a lot of money during their stay in Taichung.
Auckland City Councilor and Chairman of the “Transportation and Hardware Construction Committee” of the City Government, John Watson, stated that Taichung City's high-speed rail, bus, and MRT transportation systems are very advanced. Auckland has a population of over 1.7 million and is also constructing New Zealand's first subway, hoping to exchange and learn more from each other. In addition, he entirely agrees with the Taichung City Government's concept of promoting international education. He will encourage and facilitate the establishment of more sister schools between the two cities. The scenery in Taichung is beautiful, and the citizens are friendly. Through the enhancement of tourism, education, transportation, and other aspects, Auckland City aims to further strengthen its ties with Taichung through expanded exchanges.
"I'm delighted to visit!" Auckland City Councilor Wayne Walker indicated that he had visited the National Taichung Theater and the Cycling Culture Museum Hall before, and Taichung was very advanced and intellectualized. He expects more opportunities for city-to-city and councilor-to-councilor exchanges in the future.
Greg Sayers, an Oakland City Councilor and Vice Chairman of the city's "Budget Committee," observed the absence of a female mayor in Auckland and expressed his satisfaction in witnessing a female leader in Taichung. Floods in parts of Auckland have unfortunately caused casualties recently. Disasters caused by extreme weather have become a challenge that cities around the world must face up to. He hopes to have more exchanges with Taichung on disaster prevention and relief in the future.
Participants in today's visit included Deputy Mayor Wang, Deputy Director of the Secretariat Zheng-Feng Lee, Deputy Director of the Fire Bureau Yuan-Ji Yang, Deputy Director of the Cultural Affairs Bureau Chun-Fu Shi, and Deputy Director of the Information Bureau Jiong-Zhi Liao. The interaction was lively.