German-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group chair leads delegation to visit Taichung City Government

KEY PARTNER:
Though Taiwan and Germany are far apart, they feel like neighbors, Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-Yen said as the two sides discussed issues such as industrial cooperation

Till Steffen, Chair of German-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group, led the delegation on a visit to the Taichung City Government and was further accompanied by Karsten Tietz, Director General of German Institute Taipei.

Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-Yen (盧秀燕) personally received the delegation. The two sides exchanged extensive views on a range of issues, including industrial development, city-to-city cooperation, talent development, and democratic partnerships.

Mayor Lu quoted the famous verse by Tang dynasty poet Wang Bo (王勃), “A bosom friend afar brings a distant land nearby,” noting that although Taiwan and Germany are geographically far apart, their shared commitment to democratic values and cooperation based on common ideals make them feel like close neighbors and trusted friends.

She especially appreciated German-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group for the long-standing support of Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, describing Germany as one of Taiwan’s most important and reliable partners in Europe.

Mayor Lu further said Taichung, Taiwan’s second-largest city with a population of nearly 2.87 million, is a major center for high-tech industries, including semiconductors and precision machinery. Since TSMC’s investment in Dresden, every year, professionals from Germany and Europe travel to Taichung for advanced training, underscoring the strong connection between the two sides in technology and workforce development.

Moreover, to highlight Taichung’s local heritage and hospitality, the city government treated the delegation to Chun Shui Tang’s signature bubble tea.

Chair Till Steffen stated that the delegation had specifically visited Taichung on its itinerary because of the city’s role as a key industrial hub in Taiwan, and expressed the interest to learning more about its industrial and urban development.

He added that the German-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group consists of cross-party members, demonstrating the consensus in Germany on maintaining close friendship and support for Taiwan will remain unchanged regardless of political transitions. Steffen also invited Mayor Lu to visit the Bundestag (Germany’s federal parliament) in the future to further strengthen exchanges between the two sides.

According to the Ministry of Finance, bilateral trade volume between Taiwan and Germany reached 21.7 billion US dollars in 2025, a 6% increase from the previous year.

The figures reflect the close cooperation between the two sides in semiconductor, smart manufacturing, and the supply chains of other high-tech industries.

Mayor Lu said Taichung would continue to promote cooperation with

Germany across a wide range of areas, including trade and economic affairs, technology, culture, and education, strengthening the partnership.

Members of the visiting delegation included Steffen; Tietz; German-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group vice chairs Markus Reichel and Mandy Eissing; Bundestag members Klaus-Peter Willsch and Rainer Kraft; Taiwan Friendship Group secretariat officer Katerina Bienert; Leila Schneider, head of the Political Section at the German Institute Taipei; Chang Chia-Ling, deputy head of the Political Section at the German Institute Taipei; and Hsu Hung-Yu, deputy head of the Economic Affairs Section at the German Institute Taipei.

Representing the Taichung City Government were Lu; Taichung Deputy Mayor Huang Kuo-Jung (黃國榮), Taichung Deputy Secretary-General Lin Yu-Hung (林育鴻), Economic Development Bureau Director-General Chang Feng-Yuan (張峯源), Social Affairs Bureau Director Liao Ching-Chih (廖靜芝), Digital Affairs Bureau Director-General Lin Ku-Lung (林谷隆), Research, Development and Evaluation Commission Chairman Lin Ting-Chao (林鼎超) and Information Bureau Chief Secretary Huang Kuan-Ying (黃冠穎).