Greater Kaohsiung will seek to host the 2013 Asia-Pacific Cities Summit (APCS), a leading regional business and government forum, Kaohsiung Deputy Mayor Lee Yung-te (李永得) said yesterday.
Lee, who is leading a Kaohsiung delegation on a visit to the Australian city of Brisbane to take part in the eighth APCS scheduled to be held from tomorrow through Friday, said that while Kaohsiung had failed to secure the right to host this year’s summit, it remained optimistic about playing host to the important event, either in 2013 or at some future date.
PREPARED
Lee said that Greater Kao-hsiung was better prepared to win the bid for the next forum than it had been during its previous attempt.
The biennial summit, established by the Brisbane City -Council in 1996, provides a platform for the exchange of ideas, knowledge and successful practices between cities in the Asia-Pacific region and is also a platform for trade development between the participating cities.
ACTIVE INVOLVEMENT
Taipei has been an active participant in the summit since 1997.
This year, the summit’s theme is “The Business of Cities” and will focus on three areas — the business of green cities, the business of growing cities and the business of smart and connected cities, according to the Brisbane City Council.
Some of the key industry sectors that are to be the object of discussion at this year’s meeting are clean energy, environmental management, innovative manufacturing, food and agribusiness, and urban development and telecommunications.
ENHANCED VISIBILITY
More than 1,000 business and civic delegates from more than 100 global cities are expected to attend the summit this year, the event’s Web site says. Among them will be corporate executives, mayors, deputy mayors, government ministers, chief executives from civic organizations and young professionals.
Lee said that if Greater Kao-hsiung won the right to host the 2013 summit, it would be a big boost to raising the city’s international visibility, accelerating development and creating more business opportunities.
The APCS is scheduled to announce which Asian city will host the 2013 summit at its closing ceremony on Friday.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER
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