News Summary:
Taipei City Government hosted the "2026 Taipei International Cities Forum" on March 19, with Mayor Chiang Wan-an delivering a keynote speech "Taipei: The Rise of a Global AI Powerhouse" as part of the forum's "AI x Future Cities: Smarter Governance Greener Future" theme. The forum attracted approximately 150-200 participants, including city leaders and representatives from sister and friendly cities across the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific regions, and also featured an industry exchange luncheon. This event followed the city's strategic cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with its German sister city Dresden, signed on March 17. The MOU focuses on technological innovation, smart city management, talent development, youth development, and tourism collaborations, aiming to deepen cooperation in semiconductor, AI, and high-tech industries with Dresden, a region known as "Silicon Saxony" and a key hub for Taiwan's semiconductor industry in Europe. Separately, on March 17, Mayor Chiang Wan-an announced a new smoke-free city policy, expanding no-smoking areas to public spaces such as parks, bus stops, and sidewalks near schools, limiting smoking to designated areas or rooms. The policy builds on a vision the mayor initially announced in January.