Research, Development and Evaluation Commission

The Second Deputy Mayor Meeting (hereinafter referred to as “the Meeting”), a platform for Taipei-New Taipei collaboration and exchange, took place at the New Taipei City Hall on December 12, 2015. Chaired by Taipei City Deputy Mayor Chia-chi Teng and New Taipei City Deputy Mayor Chung-cheng Kao, the Meeting is intended to examine the results of the collaborative projects and exchange experiences.

Since Mayor Wen-je Ko and Mayor Eric Chu announced the launch of the cooperation mechanisms on March 5 this year, with the joint efforts by the departments of both city governments, the exchange platform has facilitated the development of 65 collaborative projects. Approximately 38 of them have been completed, dealing with issues on transportation, industrial and economic development, environment and resources, urban development, education, disaster prevention, health and welfare, and tourism and cultural creativity. For example, in respect of transportation, the Taipei eBus Website officially took off on November 25. It integrates the dynamic bus system of both cities, so the general public can find comprehensive and real time information of both bus systems anytime.

For industrial and economic development, on December 5 the two governments hosted “Taipei-New Taipei Mega Job Fair.” 125 reputable companies participated in the event to provide a total of 8,800 employment opportunities. In addition, the governments of Taipei, New Taipei and Keelung work together to build the “One Travel Circle of Taipei, New Taipei and Keelung.” It was the first project for the three city governments to break the administrative boundaries and integrate resources they possessed separately. The project also published a tour handbook “Let’s Go to Taipei-Keelung Metropolitan Area,” introducing 8 theme travel routes and hot spots in the three cities. The handbook covers all the most essential concerns for travel such as food, lodging, sightseeing, shopping, and also offers coupons of 88 stores and restaurants. In addition, it includes all transport information such as the Taipei MRT, YouBike, 6 routes of the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Service, trains, intercity buses, etc. With just one tour book in hand, backpackers can get around and enjoy the Greater Taipei Area.

In the aspect of health and welfare, cross-city and county resources are brought together for the expansion of adult day care services and the cooperation of hospitals for physical examination. The cross-city physical examination program for draftees of New Taipei City started in December 2015. Any Draftee whose household is registered at the junction of Taipei and New Taipei City can have his physical exam at nearby hospitals no matter the hospital is an affiliation to Taipei or New Taipei City. On the issue of disaster prevention, the Fire Departments of both cities continue to cooperate and share resources on the disaster prevention and relief trainings, strengthen collaborative disaster relief operations, and exchange experiences on community-based disaster prevention and special rescue squad to enhance the effectiveness of the disaster prevention in the Greater Taipei Area.

Besides the aforesaid collaborative projects, the cooperation on urban development shows remarkable progress. Both cities have agreed to have the same rate for the storage and cremation of the deceased. Except Zhenai Memorial Tower of Taipei, Jinshan District and Xinzhuang District of New Taipei City, many public crematoria and columbaria have joined the program including Yangmingshan Memorial Tower, Fude Memorial Tower and 16 public columbarium of New Taipei City. The same rate policy is expected to take effect on January 1, 2016 for citizens of the two cities to share the funeral and cemetery resources.

In addition to the existing collaborative projects, Taipei City Government and New Taipei City Government, upholding the belief in common prosperity, will discover more issues for possible cooperation and continue to integrate versatile resources to build a more convenient and prosperous future for all citizens.