Citizen Diplomacy

Taoyuan City is the Gate of the R.O.C. There are many foreign friends comming to visit this city every year. They come most from very friendly cities: Kennewick City,Washington, the United states;Logan City, Queensland, Australia; Balvi city, Tojio City, Niigada, Japan; and Kagashima, Ibusugi, Japan, to strengthen the relationship with these friendly cities, Taoyuan City Government screens and sends students to visit these cities in summer vacation. This student exchange program allows students to stay in foreign families to Know the cultural differences and to improve their English.

Sister City
Kennewick City, Washington, USA
Contract Date: February, 24, 1992
Population: 53,000
Positions: located in southeast of the Washington state, and it’s one of the tri-city with Pasco and Richland. The area is bigger than 10 times of Taoyuan.
Climate: average sunlight of Kennewick amounts to 300 a year. The temperature of lowest is Fahrenheit 26, the highest is Fahrenheit 94. It also snow at every December and January.
Transportation: through highway, it takes approximately 3 hours travel time from Seattle to Portland.
Special product: Agriculture developed-green asparagus, cherry, and vegetables. The most famous product is cherry. There are 70% of cherry which sell to Taiwan. Also it is called the centre of Brews alcohol in Washington.
Environment:
The whole city plan neatly
Green beautification:extremely successful
Fresh air
No pollution
The city is evaluated to the most excellent city by the “national quality air control center”

 

Logan City, Queensland, Australia
Contract Date: March, 18, 1995
Population: Approximately 180,000
Positions: located in southeast of the Washington state, and it’s one of the tri-city with Pasco and Richland. The area is bigger than 10 times of Taoyuan.
Area: 241?2, the second large city in Queensland.
Manufacturing industry: Approximately 450 stores
Retail Trades: Approximately 760 stores
Service industries: Approximately 1,200stores
Large-scale sales industry: Approximately 200 stores
Environmental protection:
Buried garbage
The environmental protection funds approximately 7% of government budget. Each household pays115 AD(Australia Dollar) to government every year for fund of garbage disposal, and it also contributes 4,500 AD to assign the charitable organization.
It is quite strict fro controlling of vacant room. It has to close the air conditioner for parking above 5 minutes and it will decrease the air pollution.

 

Balvi City, Latvia
Contract Date: February, 12, 1997
Population: 2,620,000
Area: 64,589?2
Positions: located in the east of Baltic Sea. There has Estonia at North, and Lithuania at south. There has sea between Lithuania and Sweden.
Capital city: Riga, Population: 1,000,000
Currency: 2NT equal to 1 Lats
Income: average 250 US dollars per month, approximately 3000 US dollars per year
Special product: Lumber, handicraft, amber and so on.
Education: Compulsory education for 12 years
Politics: more than 30 parties, 100 for members of national assembly(depend on the political party proportion production)

 

Irvine City, California, USA
Contract Date: February, 02, 2001
Population: 53,000
Area: 43.1?2
Positions: located in California, USA
Population: 127,220
Climate: Warm is pleasant; the mean temperature is Fahrenheit 56 at January and Fahrenheit 71 at August.
Average rainfall: 12.6 inch
Average life-span: 33.4 years old
Population per household: 2.78
Income per household: 57,327
Education level: 40 ?for college graduates
Race: Caucasian-69.18%; Asian-22.21%; descendants of Spanish-6.38%; Blacks -1.94%; Other-0.11%.
Others: This city is one of best secure city, and all citizens proud of it. It also reported by FBI and the Money magazine.