The Smart City Summit and Expo opened at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center yesterday.
The expo, which runs until Friday, is cohosted by the Taipei Computer Association and the Taipei City Government. The nation’s information and communications technology industry used the show to present its smart city solutions, and it is also one of the biggest exhibitions in Asia for Internet of Things applications.
This is the sixth year that Taipei has hosted the annual event, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said at the opening, adding that the show’s scale has grown each year since the city first cohosted it in 2016.
Photo: CNA
More than 1,700 professionals from 42 countries and regions are expected to attend, including 128 city leaders who participated in a mayor’s summit, Ko said.
The mayors would also attend a launch event today for the Global Organization of Smart Cities initiative, he added.
This year’s expo features 1,260 booths representing 337 companies, nine themed booths representing foreign cities and 15 themed booths for local cities, including the “Smart Taipei, One City” booth by the Taipei City Government, which displays 31 innovative technology applications and services.
At the summit, Ko said the city government has been cooperating with the private sector and academics to make the city a living laboratory for innovative ideas and smart city solutions.
Taipei Deputy Mayor Teng Chia-chi (鄧家基) gave a keynote speech on the city’s Smart City Vision.
Taipei Department of Information Technology Director Lu Hsin-ke (呂新科) said the city leaders — including officials from Prague; Fukuoka, Japan; Utrecht, the Netherlands; Los Angeles; and Sapporo, Japan — shared their views on the themes of “Power Up for Cities: Sustainable Cities that Connect with Industries” and “Smart City and Innovative Entrepreneurship.”
In addition, Ko and Fukuoka Mayor Soichiro Takashima signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to enhance smart city exchanges and achieve a livable city with sustainable development.
Ko and Utrecht Deputy Mayor Klaas Verschuure signed an MOU to achieve sustainable development goals thorough the exchange of information and experiences.
Ko said that the two cities have many common aspects, such as a commitment to smart city development, sustainable management, speeding up innovation and enhancing their competitiveness, adding that they can exchange ideas on sustainable public transportation, healthcare and other issues.
Ko also accompanied Verschuure on a YouBike ride around Taipei City Hall, with city mascots Bravo the Bear from Taipei and Miffy from Utrecht greeting them in front of city hall when they returned.
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
OBJECTS AT SEA: Satellites with synthetic-aperture radar could aid in the detection of small Chinese boats attempting to illegally enter Taiwan, the space agency head said Taiwan aims to send the nation’s first low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into space in 2027, while the first Formosat-8 and Formosat-9 spacecraft are to be launched in October and 2028 respectively, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council laid out its space development plan in a report reviewed by members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee. Six LEO satellites would be produced in the initial phase, with the first one, the B5G-1A, scheduled to be launched in 2027, the council said in the report. Regarding the second satellite, the B5G-1B, the government plans to work with private contractors
‘NARWHAL’: The indigenous submarine completed its harbor acceptance test recently and is now under heavy guard as it undergoes tests in open waters, a source said The Hai Kun (海鯤), the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, yesterday began sea trials, sailing out of the Port of Kaohsiung, a military source said. Also known as the “Narwhal,” the vessel departed from CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard at about 8am, where it had been docked. More than 10 technicians and military personnel were on deck, with several others standing atop the sail. After recently completing its harbor acceptance test, the vessel has started a series of sea-based trials, including tests of its propulsion and navigational systems, while partially surfaced, the source said. The Hai Kun underwent tests in the port from
New Taipei City prosecutors yesterday indicted nine entertainers over their alleged connection to a fraud ring that produces falsified documents to help people evade military service, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and show host William Liao (廖威廉). Twenty-eight people were charged with contravening the Punishment for Violation of Military Service System Act (妨害兵役治罪條例) and Article 214 of the Criminal Code for “causing a public official to make a false entry in a public document.” Prosecutors alleged the fraud ring was ran by a man, Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), and his three assistants, and that they were paid to help people dodge compulsory