Today (the 31st), Hsinchu County Government held its first exchange with delegates from Ryde City, a key developmental area in northwest Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Ryde City Mayor Mr. Sarkis Yedelian led a delegation of seven members, including Ryde City Councilor Mr. Trenton Brown and Macquarie University Vice President Prof. Dan Johnson, to visit County Magistrate Yang Wen-ke. Both sides exchanged views on topics including technology, the economy, trade, and talent cultivation, and they look forward to closer cooperation in the future.
Magistrate Yang welcomed Mayor Yedelian and the other distinguished guests. He explained that Hsinchu County is an important site of high-tech industries with a large Hakka population. The Hakka people are amiable and enthusiastic about making new friends; therefore, Hsinchu has signed sister city agreements with the U.S., Japan, and Australia for sports, culture, education, art, and tourism exchange. Magistrate Yang extended his appreciation to Fan Hui-chun, the current Director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Sydney, Australia, for bridging the friendship between Hsinchu County and Australia’s Ryde City Government.
Magistrate Yang emphasized the similarities between Hsinchu County and Ryde City. Both have science parks, biomedical parks, and AI parks, as well as industrial research institutes and multiple universities. Macquarie Park in the Ryde City area is one of Australia’s well-known industrial and commercial settlements. It hosts the headquarters of many multinational pharmaceutical, automobile, and high-tech software and hardware start-up companies. The Park is also home to the esteemed Macquarie University, which has graduate talents working in different industrial fields. The friendship formed through this opportunity is expected to facilitate more exchanges and cooperation in talent training and industrial development.
Mayor Yedelian stated that it was a great honor to visit the Hsinchu County Government. He had been to Taiwan when he was a student, and was amazed by how rapidly Taiwan had developed since his previous visit. Mayor Yedelian has a background in electronic engineering and thus pays particularly close attention to Taiwan’s progress in this field. He acknowledged that Taiwan leads the industry in this area, and expressed hope that this visit will lead to more opportunities for economic and cultural cooperation, especially in high technology.
Taipei Economic and Cultural Office Director Fan Hui-chun emphasized the close relationship between Taiwan and New South Wales. Recently, the New South Wales government has made every effort to develop Australia’s local semiconductor companies. Because Taiwan is a key player in the global semiconductor supply chain, in the future there will be opportunities to gradually promote bilateral cooperation on scientific research resources for substantive industrial cooperation.
An English version of the Hsinchu County Government’s promotional video was also made available on site. It showcased Hsinchu County’s diverse landscapes and tourism resources, allowing members of the delegation to quickly understand the history and culture of Hsinchu County and its development in various areas in recent years. To promote Hsinchu County’s high quality agricultural products, Magistrate Yang introduced his guests to Oriental Beauty Oolong Tea, a local specialty product with authentic Hsinchu flavor. In return, Mayor Yedelian presented the magistrate with landscape paintings by Ryde City’s artists.