HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – More than 200 members of the local Taiwanese community joined Hawaii leaders and lawmakers to celebrate Double Ten Day, Taiwan’s National Day, which falls on October 10.
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Honolulu hosted a special reception at the Ala Moana Hotel to celebrate the holiday and 32nd anniversary of Taiwan’s sister state relationship with Hawaii.
“I’m very proud to share with you that the bilateral ties between Taiwan and the great state of Hawaii is stronger than ever before,” said Jerry Chang, TECO director-general.
Lt. Governor Sylvia Luke, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi and state lawmakers also touted historic connections and economic partnerships with Taiwan in fields like healthcare, climate change mitigation, indigenous culture preservation, education and energy.
“We’ve shown our deep appreciation and respect for that community, not just in our efforts to clean up Chinatown or for that matter, sort of the renaissance of Sun Yat-sen Park. In fact, I could not overstate the legacy of Sun Yat-sen in Hawaii,” Blangiardi said.
Chinese revolutionary and statesman Sun Yat-sen studied at Iolani and Punahou Schools and developed an appreciation for Western democratic ideals during his years in Hawaii.
The U.S. does not have formal diplomatic relations with the self-ruled island claimed by China.
Last November, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te visited Hawaii for the first time, on his way to meet with allies in the Pacific region, including the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau.
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