Taichung mayor in Beijing for United Cities discussions

Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) arrived in Beijing yesterday to attend the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) World Council meeting. The summit begins today and will run through Friday.

Upon his arrival, Hu said the main purpose of his attending the UCLG activities is to promote Taichung City.

It is an opportunity for Taichung to show the world its unique features and development potential, Hu said, adding that he hopes to hold a press conference in Beijing to promote city-to-city exchanges.

Hu said, however, that he had not arranged to meet any Chinese government officials during his stay in Beijing.

Hu is the second local Taiwanese government official to have obtained the central government's permission to visit China. In 2000, then-Hsinchu mayor Tsai Jen-chien (蔡仁堅) was permitted to go to China to take part in a world technology conference held in Nanjing.

The UCLG World Council meetings are the first to take place since the organization's founding congress in Paris in May last year. The agenda will include discussions on the key role of local governments in meeting the millennium development goals and managing during the aftermath of disasters.

During the summit, over 300 mayors and city councilors will also meet with representatives from the World Bank and the UN in a World Mayors Forum, in preparation for the Millennium Summit review in New York in September.