The US delegation from Arizona State arrived in Taiwan on December 27 and directly headed south to visit Tainan City Mayor Huang Wei-che. The delegation, led by Chair of Arizona Republican Party Kelli Ward, was composed of her digital processing and editing team and Maricopa County District 1 Supervisor Jack Sellers, who had already visited Tainan many times. The objective of their visit is to survey city infrastructure, observe Taiwan's Presidential and legislative election, and learn more about Taiwan's economic and political developments to facilitate more interactions between Taiwan and the US.
Mayor Huang pointed out that Tainan City and Arizona State share a mutual appreciation for baseball, and since signing an agreement on friendship in 2013, both parties have built a strong relationship through collaborations in education, sports, culture, and tourism. He acknowledged that the delegation had traveled a long way to Taiwan and expressed that he looks forward to fruitful discussions with them. The Mayor also invited the visitors to experience Tainan, a capital of culture and delicacies. He pointed out that Tainan has a lot of historical sites, plenty of fruits and produce, and various delicacies which are definitely worth experiencing.
Chairperson Ms. Ward expressed that although the team is still recovering from jetlag and long-distance travel, they are happy to be in Tainan and look forward to observing Taiwanese voters first-hand. She also mentioned that during a phone call with the Arizona Governor earlier that day, the Governor asked her to forward an invitation to Mayor Huang: he looks forward to welcoming Mayor Huang in Arizona in 2020 and to establish more interactions between the two parties.
This is Maricopa County District 1 Supervisor Jack Sellers' fourth visit to Tainan. He formerly served as Vice Mayor at City of Chandler and signed the agreement on friendship between Tainan and Chandler during his time in office. Sellers shared his Tainan experiences and connections during this visit, including personally welcoming the Tainan U12 Little League Baseball Team when they visited Arizona, and the time he led a team to Tainan to take part in the Tainan Giants International Junior Baseball Championship. Mr. Sellers expressed that he enjoys Tainan's hospitality and feels very much at home in the city.
Taiwan's Overseas Compatriots Affairs Commission official Kao Chih-chung, who has long supported exchanges between Tainan and Arizona, said that he believes Tainan is the leading international city in Taiwan. This is a city with good relations with cities in Japan and the US. Kao thanked Mayor Huang and his team for their warm hospitality and hopes that the Mayor can keep on encouraging more interactions.
The Arizona delegation directly traveled to Tainan upon arriving in Taiwan. The group also visited Southern Taiwan Science Park, Museum of Archaeology (Tainan Branch of National Museum of Prehistory), Chimei Museum, and other cultural and historical sites in Tainan. The delegation stayed in Taiwan for eight days and also spent time in Pingtung City and Taipei City.