Mayor Chen Chu's Visit to Hawaii／陳菊市長率團訪問夏威夷
Mayor Chen Chu's Visit to Hawaii
◎English translation: Wendy Wei Chang
In June, Mayor of Kaohsiung, Chen Chu and delegates from Kaohsiung City Government, visited Honolulu, Hawaii. The trip was a great opportunity for Kaohsiung to strengthen ties with other international cities. Mayor Chen met with the state Governor and Honolulu's Mayor. She also met with Deputy Mayor Roy K. Amemiya, who visited Kaohsiung back in 2013 while attending the Asia Pacific Cities Summit (APCS).
On June 12th, Mayor Chen and Kaohsiung's delegation visited the Hawaiian Statehouse, where they were met by Governor David Ige. Mayor Chen described how Kaohsiung has been changing its image and transforming itself into an Asia-Pacific tourist destination. Hawaii is nicknamed the Rainbow State and is a world famous tourist destination. Mayor Chen felt they could learn a lot from Hawaii's experience in tourism and the delegation had been warmly received.
Mayor Chen also introduced Kaohsiung's top industries to the governor. She spoke about Taiwan being the largest yacht producer in Asia, with Kaohsiung's yacht industry accounting for 80% of Taiwan's total production. She described the fastener industry in Ghangshan, with Kaohsiung accounting for one third of the world's screw manufacturing. She also highlighted Kaohsiung's vibrant deep-sea fishing industry. Kaohsiung's initiatives and highly developed industries impressed the Hawaiian leaders.
After her visit to the Hawaiian Statehouse, Mayor Chen visited the Honolulu City Government. Honolulu was Kaohsiung's first sister city and have maintained this relationship for over half a century. There are frequent public and governmental exchanges between them. In 2012, the cities signed a Memorandum of Understanding and since then their relationship has drawn even closer.
Mayor Chen emphasized the fact that both Honolulu and Kaohsiung are cities that have large harbors and are located beside sea. The Port of Kaohsiung is Taiwan's biggest harbor; while Honolulu is an important gateway into the United States, as well as a critical center for trade across the Pacific Ocean. In order to work with harbor cities around the world, facilitate new perspectives on harbor city development and cultivate cooperation between international harbor cities, Kaohsiung will host the Global Harbor City Forum in 2016. Mayor Chen took the opportunity to extend a warm invitation to the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Honolulu's City Government to attend the Forum. Deputy Mayor Amemiya appreciated Mayor Chen's invitation and also expressed his intentions to continue cooperation between the two cities.
Mayor Chen also visited the Polynesian Cultural Center owned by Brigham Young University of Hawaii, where she observed how Hawaii partners academia with industry. Mayor Chen hopes to collaborate with Hawaii on integrating this practical model in order to create more opportunities for Taiwanese students studying abroad. Mayor Chen emphasized that she will continue to strive to build and develop the Taiwanese Association in Hawaii and hopes talented, well-educated Taiwanese can return to Taiwan and work in Kaohsiung in order to create a better future for kaohsiung.
陳菊市長率團訪問夏威夷
◎文／徐世雄
為強化高雄市與國際城市間的交流合作，市長陳菊6月率市府團隊赴夏威夷檀香山市進行考察訪問，分別與夏威夷州長和檀香山市政府分享高雄近年的市政建設經驗，並邀請檀香山市政府參加明年高雄市發起的「2016全球港灣城市論壇」。此行，陳菊市長一行人不僅受到熱烈歡迎，高雄市亮眼的建設成績，更獲得國際友人的肯定。
高雄市長陳菊與市府團隊於6月12日拜會夏威夷州政府，受到伊芸州長(Governor David Ige) 熱情款待。陳菊市長表示，夏威夷是世界知名的旅遊聖地－彩虹之州，高雄市近年來也力求轉型，未來希望打造高雄為亞太旅遊之都，夏威夷許多地方值得借鏡學習。陳市長也向伊芸州長介紹高雄產業特色，包括亞洲第一的台灣遊艇產業，高雄就佔了全台總產值百分之八十；岡山螺絲產業，高雄佔有全世界三分之一；以及豐沛的遠洋漁業．高雄期待與夏威夷在施政和經貿上加強合作交流。
結束州政府訪問行程後，陳菊市長接著拜會與高雄市有超過半世紀姐妹市情誼的夏威夷檀香山市政府。檀香山為高雄的第一個姊妹市，官方、民間交流頻繁，2012年高雄和檀香山簽署了加強合作備忘錄後，雙方關係更加密切。此次與曾於2013年率團參加「高雄亞太城市高峰會」的副市長羅伊‧阿美米亞(Roy K. Amemiya)會面 。
陳菊市長說，兩市都是緊鄰海洋和港灣的城市，高雄港是台灣第一大港，而檀香山是美國的重要門戶，也是跨太平洋海運貿易的重要據點之一，為了和全球的港灣城市，激盪出對於港灣城市發展的全新見解、凝聚國際港灣城市合作共識，高雄將在2016年舉辦「全球港灣城市論壇」，邀請市長及羅伊‧阿美米亞副市長率團與會。阿美尼亞表示，感謝陳市長的邀請外，希望兩座城市能更進一步交流合作。
陳菊市長走訪與楊百翰大學建教合作的「波里尼西亞文化村（PCC）」，觀摩當地產學合作模式，開展高雄與夏威夷的教育交流合作，增加高雄學子海外實務學習的機會。陳菊市長更向當地台灣同鄉會介紹高雄近年來的進步和重大建設，期吸引優秀人才返鄉，共同為高雄的未來努力。