Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che Visits Philippines to Promote City Diplomacy; Sister City Cavite Welcomes with Flag and Anthem

(CNA, Reporter Lin Hsing-chien, Cavite City, 23rd) Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che led a delegation to the Philippines today to promote city diplomacy, with the first stop being sister city Cavite City. The event site flew the national flag and played the national anthem, showcasing the long-standing and deep friendship between the two cities.

Mayor Huang's delegation arrived in Manila from Singapore early in the morning and immediately proceeded to Cavite City, about 40 kilometers south of Manila, where they received a warm reception from Mayor Denver Chua. After touring the city hall and the mayor's office, the two sides had breakfast and exchanged views by Manila Bay.

The venue simultaneously displayed the national flags of the Philippines and the Republic of China (Taiwan), and the national anthems of both countries were played before breakfast, marking a solemn ceremony.

In his speech, Huang Wei-che stated that Cavite City is Tainan's first sister city in the Philippines. Tainan highly values this friendship and hopes to expand exchanges into fields such as agriculture, tourism, and education in the future, creating more opportunities for both sides, strengthening educational cooperation, broadening young people's horizons, and ensuring the friendship continues to the next generation.

Mayor Denver Chua is a third-generation Chinese-Filipino who led a delegation to Tainan in March this year. In his remarks, he praised Tainan as a model of progress, innovation, and cultural pride, with friendly and passionate citizens. He expressed hope to enhance exchanges with Tainan in industries, tourism, and education.

The 40-year-old Denver Chua also noted the rich trade potential between the two cities. Cavite City hopes to introduce agricultural products like fruits and vegetables from Tainan, and also hopes to export its aquaculture products, such as oysters and mussels, to Tainan.

The breakfast meeting concluded with enthusiastic applause as both sides exchanged souvenirs.

Cavite City is located in Cavite Province, bordering Manila Bay, and is famous for mussels and oysters. Tainan City and Cavite City became sister cities in 1980. In January this year, they signed a "Memorandum of Understanding on Enhancing Sister City Friendship" to reaffirm their bridge of friendship.

In the afternoon, Huang's delegation will take a flight to Aklan Province in the central Philippines to participate in the 70th anniversary celebrations of the province's founding.

Aklan Province is home to the world-renowned resort destination Boracay, with well-developed agriculture and tourism industries. Governor Jose Enrique Miraflores visited Tainan last August, and the two sides established sister relations.

Prior to visiting the Philippines, Huang Wei-che had successively visited Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore to promote Tainan's agricultural products. (Editor: Wei Shu) 1150423