The “2017 New Economic Power of Smart City Forum” was held in Taichung. Mayor Lin Chia-Lung of Taichung attended the occasion held on October 5, and shared his experience in the governance of a smart city with the participants in the forum. Taichung has solid foundation in smart manufacturing. Taichung City Government advocated smart city and industrial innovation so that the residents there could develop business and get employed easily, said Mayor Lin. “Smart City” and “Internet of Things (IoT)” could be used as the engine drivers for further development, among other innovative industries. Mayor Lin suggested that the central and local governments could make the city as the platform for industrial integration with funding from the central government as an incentive. He believed that the industrial development in Taiwan will give her a promising future.

The theme of the New Economic Power of Smart City Forum of this year is “Intelligence Innovation x Overhaul of the City”, which was chaired by Hsieh Chin-Ho, the President of the Wealth Magazine. Mayor Lin Chia-Lung of Taichung, Chairman Kao Hsin-Ming of Marketech International Corp., CEO Chang Chi-Chiang of Glory Technology Service Inc., President Wu Teng-Yan of Microprogram Co., Ltd. were present and shared their points of views with discussion on topics related to the vision of the planning of smart city and the experience of industrial innovation in application. Deputy Director Hu Pei-Ti of the Small and Medium Enterprises Administration of the Ministry of Economic Affairs was there and expressed her concerned. The interactions of these officials in the occasion were positive.

Mayor Lin, Chairman Kao, and CEO Chang have addressed the forum. It was followed by the question of President Hsieh of Wealth Magazine on the new direction for the development of Taichung under the leadership of Mayor Lin in 5 years ahead. This topic remained critical as the concluding remark of the forum.

A business delegation has visited the USA last month for solicitation of investment in Taichung, said Mayor Lin. The delegation has visited Rockwell with the signing of a MOU by Rockwell, Taichung City Government, Industrial Technology Research Institute, and Precision Machinery Research and Development Center. The MOU aims at the upgrade of the technologies for the research and development of smart machinery in joint effort. Rockwell has offered a model production line of smart machinery for Taichung at the precision machinery industrial park with a view to helping the development and transformation of the small and medium enterprises of Taiwan.

The design of smart city is attuned to the needs of the people. Taiwan has a solid foundation in the manufacturing of electric cars while Taichung City Government has some 254 hectares of land for Shui Nan Smart City as a good pilot zone. In the future, pilot projects of unmanned motor vehicles could be developed in this place. The accumulation of experience and research data could help to bring in lucrative business opportunity, said Mayor Lin. Joint ventures could be formed with enterprises established in the zone not only in the application of well-developed technologies but also prompt for the development of a new business model of combining hardware and software.

A surpassing strategy will be essential for the advocacy of smart city, emphasized Mayor Lin. Policy, technology, and application are equally important. There are several advantages in Taichung and lucrative business opportunity could be brought through proper integration of the nuts and bolts and the use of information technology. The central government should also “Empower the regional government and allow for a larger share of profit” so that the regions can demonstrate their strength in economic performance, establish the living circles, and prompt for common participation of all residents so that the dream of a smart city could be realized.

President Hsieh Chin-Ho of the Wealth Magazine expressed his concerned over the ways Mayor Lin adopted to integrate the resources of the enterprises in order to make Taichung the most competitive city of Taiwan.

The Greater Taichung Project has been approved in July that allowed for the materialization of the vision of “Greater Taichung 123”, said Mayor Lin. The connection of the physical transportation network and the Internet helps to stimulate mobility in urban area and narrow the distance between urban and rural areas. The infrastructures in transportation will be the responsibility of the government and the result must yield multiplier effect. The artery of transportation must be highly commutable to all directions with the support of a composite transportation system so as to drive urban development and bolster competitive power.

In the attraction of investment for boosting economic development and brining in jobs, Mayor Lin suggested that urban economy is the foundation of everything. For example, the difficult of TSMC in setting up its foothold in Taichung Science-Based Industrial Park, and the assistance of Taichung City Government in the process of its capacity expansion, which made Taichung Plant of TSMC accounted for a major share of its production capacity in this year. The government hoped to connect with the industries so that semiconductors are not just for the consumers but also a partner in the joint ventures of local precision machinery industry through technology transfer the mutual investment. This would help to improve local purchase and drive for the development of the region.

Chairman Kao Hsin-Ming of Marketech Internal Corp. recognized the advantages of Taichung with the development of software, hardware and tool making technologies in place. Through the application of smart technologies, the healthy development of the city could be accomplished and excelled, and can make the daily lives of the people more convenient. She proposed the theme of “Healthy City, Healthy Industry, and Health People” for the creation of a smart industry ecology circle inside which the people could have feeling, the industry could have opportunity, and the city have construction” from the basic needs of the people in their daily lives.

CEO Chang Chi-Chang of Glory Technology Service Inc. echoed with Mayor Lin in his direction of governance of a smart city. He held that the very infrastructure to be launched by a smart city is the use of innovative and creative tools to solve confronting problems. People will be the very center of the plan irrespective of the means adopted, and the needs of the people must be satisfied. He suggested creating a smart city with the features of a city as the fundamental element.

President Hsieh Chin-Ho of the Wealth Magazine suggested that Taichung is a beautiful city and is also a smart city. He could feel the effort of Mayor Lin from the gathering of the day. The optical industry of Taichung is advanced, which made Taichung the cradle of rich people. He believed that Taichung will be the best of smart cities in the future. Deputy Director Hu Pei-Ti of Small and Medium Enterprises of the Ministry of Economic Affairs mentioned that smart city and other systems involved privacy and security of personal information and also caused impact to other industries. Technologies do give us convenience but also bring about challenges. In the exchanges of views in the forum of today, she got a clearer picture of smart city and hoped a healthier and better national development.