Taipei, 13 June – A delegation from the European Chamber of Commerce Taiwan (ECCT) hosted a round table lunch with Tainan Mayor Lai Ching-de and senior officials from the Tainan city government on Tuesday. The 15-member ECCT delegation was headed by Vice Chairman Godwin Chang and CEO Freddie Hoeglund and comprised ECCT board directors and committee chairpersons. Besides Mayor Lai Ching-de, the Tainan city government delegation included Deputy Mayor Sheu Her-jiun and Director Generals from the city's Bureaus of Finance, Economic Development, Urban Development, Tourism and Travel and Environmental Protection.

The visit was part of the chamber's efforts to expand its business activities and presence across Taiwan following its transition to a nationwide association earlier this year. The ECCT has visited Taichung city twice this year and already set up a committee to serve its members in that city.

The delegation was in Tainan to learn about the city, the government's development plans, possible business opportunities and areas where the ECCT and the city government can cooperate in the future.

In his remarks at the lunch Mayor Lai welcomed the delegation and said that the city encouraged ECCT members to invest in the city, which he noted had become a much more attractive investment destination following the city's upgrade to one of Taiwan's five special municipalities in 2010. Besides efforts to improve the investment environment, the mayor said that the city is working hard to make the city a culture and tourist mecca in Southern Taiwan.

The mayo's introduction was followed by a presentation by ECCT Vice Chairman Godwin Chang on the ECCT's position papers and a briefing by ECCT Director Erdal Elver on the ECCT's Low Carbon Initiative (LCI). Elver informed city government officials that the ECCT set up the LCI to showcase the best European low carbon solutions and practices across a broad range of industries, to raise awareness about sustainable development and promote the adoption of low carbon solutions in order to help Taiwan to reduce its carbon emissions. Elver noted that it was encouraging to see that Mayor Lai and the Tainan city government have demonstrated a strong commitment to environmental protection and sustainable development through various green energy and transportation initiatives. Given the ECCT and the city government's shared commitment to promoting low carbon solutions, on behalf of the chamber and the LCI, Elver welcomed the opportunity for joint cooperation in the future. The city has initiated 10 low carbon projects in the city including promoting the installation of solar panels in the city's buildings, factories and farms, saving energy, greening buildings and recycling. In addition, the city government is planning to launch a pilot electric bus project in the city by the end of 2013.