On June 30, Tainan City Mayor Huang Wei-che and Kyoto Mayor Daisaku Kadokawa signed the Tainan City and Kyoto City Exchange Promotion Agreement via conference call. The two historical cities look forward to creating new history together.
Huang Wei-che expressed that this day has very noteworthy as Tainan and Kyoto are significant historical cities in Taiwan and Japan, respectively; and both are members of the League of Historical Cities. Huang also mentioned that when Tainan joined the League of Historical Cities in 2012, he visited Kyoto City as a legislator. He was very impressed by the beauty and rich culture and history of Kyoto City.
Mayor Huang also thanked Japan for gifting Taiwan 2.24 million doses of COVID vaccines and lending Taiwan a helping hand during the pandemic. This gesture is proof of the precious friendship between the two countries. Therefore he is delighted to sign this Exchange Agreement with Kyoto City which will encourage more interactions between the two parties in the future.
Tainan City Council Speaker Kuo Sin-Liang, who witnessed the online signing ceremony, pointed out that Tainan City Council also has strong ties with their Kyoto City counterpart. In 2018, Tainan City Council became the first city council in the world to sign an agreement on friendship with Kyoto City Council. Kuo personally led a delegation to Kyoto in 2019 and organized a promotional event there for Tainan's Irwin mangoes. He is happy to see the two cities form a new partnership today, and looks forward to more opportunities to strengthen the friendship between Taiwan and Japan.
During the ceremony, Kyoto City Mayor Daisaku Kadokawa also expressed his sincere thanks to Tainan for sending over protective glasses last year for epidemic prevention use. The Mayor hopes that with the signing of the Exchange Agreement, citizens on both sides can have more interactions and both cities can become more prosperous.
Tainan and Kyoto already share many connections. The city councils on both sides have signed an agreement on friendship and this bond has held fast through the pandemic. And now, three years after the agreement on friendship, the two cities welcome this Exchange Agreement.