Pan Men-an, Pingtung County Magistrate (equivalent to mayor) and senior officials from the county government paid a visit to the ECCT where they met with Chairman H Henry Chang, CEO Freddie Höglund, as well as co-chair of the Travel & Tourism committee, Michael Wu. Other members of the Pingtung delegation included Yin Fong-lan, Director of the Department of Information & International Affairs and Lee Yi-de, Director of the Department of Urban & Rural Development.

At the meeting, ECCT chairman Henry Chang gave an introduction to the ECCT after which co-chairs from the Travel & Tourism committees gave an introduction to their committees. Delegates went on to discuss a number of topics on industry development, travel and tourism and education.

In his remarks, Magistrate Pan encouraged European firms to invest in the Pingtung Science Park, which will be officially launched at the end of the year. He noted that Pingtung’s geographical environment is very suitable for developing onshore wind and he welcomed the relevant industries to invest in Pingtung. He added that Pingtung has abundant raw materials and natural resources, which can benefit industries that are considering diversifying parts of their supply chains (such as pharmaceutical companies).

On the subject of travel and tourism, Magistrate Pan expressed eagerness to join a lunch with the ECCT to talk about sustainable tourism development, and to share information about Pingtung’s advantages, investment policy, environment, and attractions with members. He added that he would be pleased to help initiate unique travel packages/holidays for ECCT members that include the area’s best destinations and experiences in terms of culture, history.

On the subject of education, Magistrate Pan said that the Pingtung County government is working hard to promote bilingual education in local elementary and junior high schools and that this will be a focus of policy combined with talent recruitment, and the building of facilities and software in the Pingtung Science Park.