Mayor Jacek Jaśkowiak of Poznań, Poland, led a delegation that included President Teofil Jesionowski of Poznań University of Technology to attend the 2025 Smart City Summit & Expo on the 20th. On the same day, the delegation also visited the Kaohsiung City Government, where they were received by Deputy Mayor Lee Huai-jen. The two sides signed an MOU on city cooperation, committing to cooperate in areas such as smart city development, culture, education, tourism, and trade and economics. Mayor Jaśkowiak expressed his keen interest in Kaohsiung’s smart city application technologies and mass transportation planning strategy, as well as his expectation for in-depth exchanges on topics such as smart technologies and academic collaboration. Kaohsiung City Mayor Chen Chi-mai also expressed the hope that smart city exchanges would strengthen governance and competitiveness in both cities and serve as a foundation for broader collaboration across diverse fields in the future.
Poznań is a historic academic hub, the capital of the Greater Poland Province, and the fifth-largest city in Poland. With the MOU signed on March 20th, Kaohsiung and Poznań have opened the door to greater opportunities for collaboration. Deputy Mayor Lee praised Poznań’s dedicated efforts in digital transformation, noting that Kaohsiung has been equally committed in this area. In particular, Kaohsiung has worked with the central government to establish the Asia New Bay Area 5G AIoT Innovation Hub, striving to integrate smart technologies into urban development and practical applications. In recent years, as the high-tech industry has expanded its investment in Kaohsiung by establishing new factories, the city has developed into a pivotal technology and semiconductor cluster in southern Taiwan. Kaohsiung has also been leveraging AI-driven big data analytics in governance, moving decisively toward its goal of becoming a livable smart city. It is anticipated that the two cities will carry out more concrete exchanges based on the MOU.
Mayor Jaśkowiak, visiting Kaohsiung for the second time, stated that although geographically distant, Poznań and Kaohsiung share many similarities. Both cities have demonstrated a high degree of flexibility in technological and economic development, and their citizens share a strong enthusiasm for innovation. He recalled visiting Kaohsiung two years ago to observe the design of the city’s light rail transit system, noting that Poznań has also been actively advancing its net-zero transition through emission reduction measures such as the deployment of electric and hydrogen-powered buses. He expressed that the MOU serves as a cornerstone of the friendship between the two cities and looked forward to deeper collaboration in areas such as economics, education, culture, and beyond.
As a member of the delegation, President Jesionowski of Poznań University of Technology highlighted Poland’s focus on technological development and its commitment to cultivating talent in high-tech industries and higher education. With support from the European Union, research centers have been established at Poznań University of Medical Sciences and Poznań University of Technology to advance AI-enabled solutions. He expressed hope for expanded opportunities for academic and economic exchanges with Kaohsiung. Deputy Mayor Lee also voiced his expectation of deepening interactions between universities in Kaohsiung and Poznań.
During his visit, Mayor Jaśkowiak was also invited to serve as the keynote speaker for the session titled AI Empowering City: Unlocking a New Era through AI, where he shared his insights on applying AI technologies to urban planning, management, and public services. During their visit, the delegation also toured Kaohsiung’s Intelligent Transportation Center, rode an electric bus to observe the city’s low-carbon transportation initiatives, and visited the Pier-2 Art Center to experience Kaohsiung’s distinctive charm.