Adam Pustelnik, Deputy Mayor of Łódź, Poland, and delegation visited Tainan City Hall on Feb. 27. The Polish delegation comprises Bartosz Domaszewicz, Head of City Council; Mateusz Sipa, Director of the Business Development and International Relations Bureau; Tomasz Langner, International Cooperation Division Manager; and Agnieszka Sygitowicz, President of the Polish-Taiwanese Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che welcomed the guests with Xiao Fu-ren, Acting Director of the Economic Development Bureau. Also in attendance were the Director of the Polish Office in Taipei Cyryl Jacek Kozaczewski, Taiwan-Poland Chamber of Commerce (TAIPO) Chairman Chao Chung-chieh, Head of the Polish Investment & Trade Agency (Taipei Office) Lukasz Piotr Lanski, and TAIPO Senior Advisor Marcin Jaskula.
Well-known Tainan business Chi Mei Frozen Food Co., Ltd. (CMF) and a Polish food company jointly built a food production line in Łódź City, laying the foundation for stronger partnerships. Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che also visited Łódź during his trip to Europe in 2024, with the goal to facilitate more exchanges between industries in the two cities. Tainan will continue to enhance the relationship and eventually hopes to become sister cities with Łódź.
Mayor Huang thanked the Łódź delegation for visiting and remarked that he was impressed by the beautiful Polish city. Łódź was founded over 600 years ago while Tainan has a history of 400 years. The Mayor expressed that both ancient cities can exchange experiences in many fields as we tackle future challenges together.
Huang also encouraged exchanges between teachers, students, and the general public to promote closer relationships through academic interactions and tourism. He sees great collaboration potential in the areas of culture, education, sports, and business development and the Tainan City Government will keep on promoting interactions between the industries in the two cities. In addition to in-season local fruits, Mayor Huang also prepared the traditional Polish pączki (doughnuts) for the guests to celebrate the Catholic holiday Fat Thursday.
Deputy Mayor Adam Pustelnik of Łódź City expressed that he already experienced the friendliness, hospitality, and open-mindedness of the locals during his first visit to Tainan. Łódź and Tainan share a lot of similarities and thus he feels very comfortable with his Tainan friends. City diplomacy is particularly important in the era of globalization, as Pustelnik pointed out, and his delegation includes several important officials from the Łódź City government. He hopes that this visit marks a start for more interactions to come and will lead to a valuable partnership with Tainan City soon.
During their stay in Tainan, the Łódź delegation visited the Chimei Happiness Factory and a couple of local manufacturers with the assistance of the Economic Development Bureau to interact and introduce the investment environment in Łódź. Tainan companies were encouraged to consider Łódź as a potential location for their overseas investments. The delegation also stopped at National Cheng Kung University as well as historical and cultural destinations such as Chihkan Tower and the Chimei Museum.