On August 9, Singapore celebrates its National Day. Yesterday (26th), the Singapore Trade Office in Taipei hosted a grand event at the Grand Hyatt Taipei. Deputy Mayor Cheng Chao-Hsin of the Taichung City Government attended the event on behalf of Mayor Lu Hsiu-Yen to send regards and engaged warmly with Trade Representative Yip Wei Kiat of the Singapore Trade Office in Taipei, who presided over the event. Deputy Mayor Cheng highlighted the strong and friendly relations between Taichung and Singapore, with extensive cooperation in areas like trade, culture, tourism, and education. He mentioned that Mayor Lu had recently led a delegation to Singapore in April and acknowledged the consistent support from the Singapore Trade Office in Taipei for the city government’s events. His attendance was not only to wish Singapore a happy National Day but also to express hopes for further strengthening the exchanges and cooperation between the two sides.

Deputy Mayor Cheng noted that Singapore is one of Taichung's closest and most amicable partners, with the city government having numerous friends there. In April, Mayor Lu, with the invitation and support of the Singapore Trade Office in Taipei, visited Singapore for a series of municipal inspections and met with government officials, including Minister Grace Fu of the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment and Minister Desmond Lee of the Ministry of National Development.

Taiwan has seen a growing influx of tourists from Singapore in the past few years. Last year alone, about 460,000 Singaporeans traveled to Taiwan, making them the largest group of Southeast Asian visitors. Approximately a quarter of these tourists also visited Taichung, drawn by the city's renowned cuisine and attractions. To capitalize on this interest, the Taichung City Government's Tourism and Travel Bureau participated in the Taiwan Travel Fair 2024 in Singapore and promotional events in April, promoting Taichung’s in-depth tourism in hopes of attracting even more Singaporean tourists to the city.

Deputy Mayor Cheng highlighted Singapore's internationally acclaimed city planning and governance, noting that Taichung has much to learn from these practices. Besides Mayor Lu's April visit to Singapore, where she learned about sustainable, low-carbon construction and gathered insights from the Great Singapore Sale, Deputy Secretary-General Chang Ta-Chun represented Taichung at the 2024 World Cities Summit Mayors Forum in Singapore this June. Taichung's Digital Affairs Bureau has also initiated discussions with Singapore on smart cities and digital governance. The Taichung City Government has also welcomed delegations from Singapore for several times, paving the way for even stronger collaboration and closer ties in the future.

According to the Secretariat, Singapore's National Day Reception held yesterday was the first for Singapore's new Prime Minister, Lawrence Wong, since he took office. The event drew a distinguished crowd, including President Han Kuo-Yu of the Legislative Yuan, Vice President Chiang Chi-Chen of the Legislative Yuan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Wu Chih-Chung, and various foreign ambassadors in Taiwan and business representatives. Along with Deputy Mayor Cheng, legislators Yang Chiung-Ying and Wang Yu-Min, both of whom previously served as deputy mayors of Taichung, were also in attendance. The participation of Vice President Chiang from Taichung further highlights the strong ties between Taichung and Singapore.

Deputy Mayor Cheng also took the opportunity to invite Representative Yip, along with AIT Director Raymond F. Greene, British Office Taipei Representative John Dennis, Finnish Trade Center Representative Lauri Raunio, Slovak Economic and Cultural Office Representative Bruno Hromy, and other ambassadors and international guests to visit Taichung and attend major events like the Taichung Jazz Festival.