Central and local government officials seek new relationship

This article was written by Cecilia Fanchiang and published by the Taiwan Journal on November 25, 2005. It reports that government officials and academics met in a recent forum in central Taiwan to discuss the ways in which the central government may forge a closer relationship with municipal and county governments throughout Taiwan.

The forum was the first of a series of public forums to be held in Taiwan. It was meant to serve as a communication channel for the central government to converse with local governments. In the forum, community leaders, civil servants and teachers call for improved partnerships across government agencies and joint initiatives in a wide range of areas. Other speakers included experts in economics, political science and environmental protection.

Taiwanese voters are gearing up for the year-end elections, during which they will choose their mayors and county magistrates.