TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taoyuan City Mayor Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) on Tuesday (Jan. 12) held a virtual meeting with Newark Mayor Ras Baraka to discuss strategies for slowing the spread of coronavirus and reviving their cities' economies.
According to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in New York, the mayors shared their experiences in epidemic prevention and talked about potential future engagement. A donation of 10,000 surgical masks and 2,000 N95 respirators masks was presented to Baraka during the meeting by Taiwan's envoy to New York, Li Kuang-chang (李光章).
Baraka thanked the Taiwanese government for the timely donation of medical supplies. He emphasized that Newark is a leader in smart city development and has set up a free gigabit Wi-Fi network and numerous mobile device charging stations across the city.
Cheng pointed out that both Taoyuan and Newark are well-developed international airline hubs and that they can adopt each other’s policies on airport economy as well as transportation development. He said the cities can also explore cooperation on environmental protection and renewable energy programs.
Meanwhile, Li said Taoyuan and Newark share many similarities and that both are pursuing a technology-driven economy. He added that TECO is willing to facilitate any future exchanges between the two city governments.
Met with the Goverment of Taoyen in Taiwan tonight to discuss mutual aide during the pandemic and joint economic recovery intiatives. Newark is an international city. Forward ever Backward never pic.twitter.com/bXWFZfWl3p
— Ras J. Baraka (@rasjbaraka) January 13, 2021
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka (center) speaks during virtual meeting. (TECO photo)
Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsang (right) shows support for city of Newark. (TECO photo)