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Following a Peterborough delegation’s successful visit to the New Taipei International Expo in February, representatives from the Taiwanese Commission in London, visited the city on Monday 3 April.
Keen to know more about Peterborough’s businesses and the potential for collaboration, particularly around Smart City work, the delegation met with economic development company, Opportunity Peterborough, who had also organised the visitors’ itinerary.
The delegation included Representative David Lin, of the London Taipei Representative Office UK, Alex Huang, Head of Political Division, and Yen-Chung Wu, 3rd Secretary responsible for Smart Cities – Taipei Representative Office in the UK.
To start proceedings, the visiting delegation were given greater insight into Peterborough’s citizen-centred Smart City work that won it the title of World Smart City of the Year 2015.
Delivered by the Future Peterborough project which is run by Opportunity Peterborough and Peterborough City Council, the programme aims to scale up innovative ideas and projects that connect people, places, spaces and services in smarter ways, creating a more sustainable city to live and work in.
Up for discussion was the Smart City Leadership Programme which the Future Peterborough team is leading on in India, in partnership with BSI and UrbanDNA. The delegation were also particularly interested in Peterborough’s circular economy model which is being developed to reduce and reuse waste.
There was also a strong focus on data and digital empowerment, and MyCognition shared their views on how combining the world of computer gaming with local skills needs is helping to improve local capabilities in Peterborough.
To show the city off in all its grandeur, the delegation was given a tour of Peterborough Cathedral following a lunch with some of the city’s political and business leaders.
The delegation also visited the award-winning 3D printing innovators, Photocentric, and specialist manufacturer, Baker Perkins, a historic brand in the Peterborough economy and supplier of machinery across the world.
Steve Bowyer, Chief Executive of Opportunity Peterborough said, “Now that Taiwan is more aware of what Peterborough can offer, we’re confident that we’ll see strengthening ties between businesses in Peterborough and in Taiwan.
“A visit from such high-ranking officials shows how Peterborough’s growing international presence is opening up more possibilities for our city. Collaborations don’t happen overnight but we do hope to nurture the relationships that have been developed to support the growth of Peterborough and its businesses.”
“Our thanks also go to Photocentric and Baker Perkins who welcomed the delegation to their premises to help us offer a glimpse of what Peterborough has to offer.”
Representative David Lin from the London Taipei Representative Office UK said, “It was a great pleasure to visit Peterborough. The city has a beautiful Cathedral and some wonderful businesses that are leading the world in their technologies and innovation. For Taiwan, the Smart Cities agenda is tremendously important, and we look forward to collaborating in the future with Peterborough and other UK cities to make sure that we maximise its potential.”