Taipei, Dec. 12 (CNA) Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) met with Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike in Japan Monday, Chen's first overseas trip since taking office in 2020.
According to a Kaohsiung City Government press release, Chen and Koike exchanged views on the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues of mutual interest, including smart cities, energy saving and carbon reduction.
Chen expressed his gratitude to Japan for donating COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan. In response, Koike praised Taiwan's handling of the pandemic.
The Kaohsiung mayor also invited the governor to visit Kaohsiung in the near future to personally experience the friendly and cordial ties between the two countries and their peoples.
The Kaohsiung government said it hoped to expand bilateral cooperation with Tokyo on all fronts in post-COVID-19 era.
Chen is set to attend a dinner party hosted by a group of Japanese lawmakers from the Japan-ROC Diet Members' Consultative Council later on Monday, which promotes closer Tokyo-Taipei exchanges, according to the release.
On Tuesday morning, Chen will visit Tokyo's Toyosu Fish Market to learn from its relocation experience as the Taiwanese city has also recently decided to renovate its 50-year-old Cianjhen Fish Market, the city government said.
The mayor will head back to Taiwan later Tuesday, it added.
Chen is leading a delegation of city officials from the Department of Administrative and International Affairs and Marine Bureau, which arrived in Japan on Sunday afternoon for a three-day visit, according to the press release.
It marks Chen's first overseas visit since becoming mayor in August 2020. Chen won reelection last month, and will begin his second term in office on Dec. 25.
The 57-year-old also recently became acting chair of the DPP, following President Tsai Ing-wen's (蔡英文) resignation as DPP chairperson in the wake of a bruising night for the ruling party in local elections on Nov. 26.
