Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung spoke at “Local Democracy: Global Collaboration, Urban Innovation,” a forum held Jan. 27 in Taipei City, and highlighted Taiwan’s commitment to democracy and the applications of technology to local governance.
Organized by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, the event was themed “AI x Democracy.” The forum was hosted by Ambassador-at-large Audrey Tang and included Kaohsiung City Deputy Mayor Lee Huai-jen and his counterpart Cheng Chao-hsin of Taichung City as panelists. Also in attendance were 12 delegates from 7 international organizations and representatives from the offices of Argentina, Belgium, Belize, Guatemala, Haiti, Israel, South Korea, Sweden and the U.K.
Speaking at the opening ceremony in his role as the TFD vice chair, Lin said that this year marks the 30th anniversary of Taiwan’s first direct presidential election, which was a milestone on the country’s road to democracy. Taiwan’s democratic system is founded on the concept of local self-governance, he said, citing the first election of city mayors and county magistrates in 1950.
The foreign minister noted that the lifting of martial law in 1987 was another significant event in Taiwan’s democratization, and drew a line between political and technological flourishing by reminding attendees that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. was founded in the same year.
Lin went on to say that he believes emerging technologies are more effectively applied in the local level. He drew on his experience as mayor of Taichung to discuss the leveraging of smart applications to tackle city governance issues and drive city-oriented innovation. The era of artificial intelligence brings new challenges and opportunities, the minister said, adding that he looks forward to opening a dialogue with international partners to discuss the role of cities in the global democratic governance network, which also embodies the practices of the integrated diplomacy initiative. (YCH-E)
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