In celebration of the 150th founding anniversary of Winnipeg, Canada, the capital city of Manitoba province, a Sister Cities Day was held on Sunday, local time, at The Forks. The event, aimed to strengthen cultural and historical connections, featured booths from 11 sister cities worldwide, including Taichung City of Taiwan, and showcased each city’s unique cultures, tourist attractions, and specialty cuisine.
A sister city is a formal agreement between two communities in two countries, typically made to foster business, trade, educational, and cultural exchanges. Taichung City, which became sister cities with Winnipeg on April 2, 1982, highlighted local specialties such as sun cakes and pineapple pastries at their booth. The Taiwan Tourism Administration’s "TAIWAN-Waves of Wonder" brand was also promoted, while the Taichung City Government provided commemorative pins and scenic postcards.
In August last year, Taiwan’s Representative to Canada Harry Ho-jen Tseng (曾厚仁) and Taipei Economic and Cultural Office Toronto Director General Jin-Ling Chen (陳錦玲) led a delegation to the province of Manitoba. The group aimed to promote economic cooperation with Canada's indigenous communities and met with Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham and his team.
Chen noted that all these activities, together with the recent signing of the Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA) and technology cooperation agreement between Taiwan and Canada, serve to illustrate their deepening exchanges with Taiwan in trade, technology, indigenous affairs, and urban diplomacy.