New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) and Keelung Mayor Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) yesterday responded positively to the idea of combining Taipei, New Taipei City and Keelung into one administrative entity, which was broached by Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) earlier this week.
Ko on Wednesday said that the concept of the six special municipalities — Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung — was “absurd” and a failure in terms of national planning.
Ko yesterday amended his statement, saying that Keelung did not need to be administratively placed under Taipei, but should be made “more accessible.”
Photo: CNA
Asked for comment, Hou said that all globally competitive metropolises have a population of at least 10 million.
A “Greater Taipei” region — Taipei, New Taipei City and Keelung — could work, as they are adjacent to each other, he said.
“I am actually very optimistic about integration,” Hou said, adding that the three cities would be better off together than separate.
He said he believed that railway construction projects across the two municipalities and city should also include Taoyuan.
Solidarity is the only way to ensure improvement and greater development of the nation, Hou said, adding that only by working together could the Republic of China’s potential be seen once again.
However, Hou declined to comment on Ko viewing him as his “greatest threat to a presidential bid in 2024,” saying that both mayors should seek to create prosperity in their cities.
Lin said that the cities should remain separate administratively, but that regional logistics should be made more accessible.
Taipei has over the past two decades stagnated in urban development, not just because it lacks a plan, but, more importantly, because it lacks the land for development, he said.
Lin suggested that New Taipei City’s Tamsui (淡水), Shihmen (石門), Jinshan (金山), Wanli (萬里), Rueifang (瑞芳), Shuangsi (雙溪), Gongliao (貢寮) and Sijhih (汐止) districts, as well as Keelung, should be part of Taipei.
Taipei needs Keelung, as it could balance wealth in the region while allowing Taipei to expand from only the Taipei Basin to having its own coast and harbor, Lin said.
Lin added that the region could then be subdivided into two or three municipalities, but this would require discussion between the three cities, as well as a public consensus.
He said that he would be glad to invite Hou and Ko to Keelung to discuss the issue after the presidential and legislative elections on Jan. 11.
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