The Taipei City Government yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with its German sister city, Dresden, on technological innovations, smart city management, talent development, youth development and tourism collaborations.
The two cities signed the MOU during the second Taipei International Cities Forum at the Shangri-La Hotel.
The forum hoped to help foster greater interaction between the cities, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said.
Photo: Tung Kuan-yi, Taipei Times
Taipei aims to share its experience in governance while expanding global engagement and contributing to the development of sustainable urban communities, he said.
The forum’s theme was “AI x Future Cities: New Blueprints for Sustainable Governance,” focusing on how artificial intelligence (AI) could be applied to improve everyday life and enhance urban management, he added.
Belmopan Mayor Pablo Cawich, Dresden Mayor Dirk Hilbert, North West District Mayor Alex Yam (任梓銘), Dallas Acting Mayor Jesse Moreno and Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Dilpreet Sidhu attended the event yesterday.
The commencement of direct flights between Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Phoenix, Arizona, last year, along with Nvidia signing a deal to establish its first major overseas headquarters in the Beitou-Shilin Technology Park proves that Taipei City is becoming an international AI hub and signals growing confidence in the city, Chiang said.
He also highlighted the partnership with Dresden, which is home to Silicon Saxony — Europe’s largest microelectronics and information technology cluster — and is to house Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s first EU wafer fabrication plant.
With such developments, Taipei is one step closer to realizing its vision of becoming a global AI powerhouse, Chiang said.
In a keynote session titled “Taipei: The Rise of a Global AI Powerhouse,” Chiang outlined his approach to governing a major city, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a human-centered perspective amid rapid digital transformation.
Taipei aims to balance technological innovation and livability as it works toward becoming a leading global AI city, he said.
The Taipei City Government said it has signed MOUs with Kyiv; Japan’s Hamamatsu and Shizuoka; Guatemala City; and Old Town, Slovakia, since Chiang took office.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
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