Since Kaohsiung and Gdynia established sister-city relations in September last year during Deputy Mayor Lo Ta-sheng’s visit to Poland, the partnership has quickly entered a new stage. On the 20th, Gdynia Deputy Mayor Tomasz Augustyniak led a delegation to Kaohsiung for a reciprocal visit, where they attended the 2026 Smart City Summit & Expo, met with Deputy Mayor Lo, and took part in the signing ceremonies of an MOU on port cooperation and five letters of intent for educational exchange.
The two cities have moved swiftly to turn their sister-city ties into practical cooperation. In addition to advancing collaboration between the Port of Kaohsiung and the Port of Gdynia, they also built on last year’s MOU for educational exchange by facilitating letters of intent between five schools in each city. Together, these agreements mark a clear step from city-level exchange to concrete cooperation in both the port sector and education. The ceremony was witnessed by Jacek Karnowski, Secretary of State at Poland’s Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy; Janusz Bilski, Director of the Polish Office in Taipei; and Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, Mayor of Gdańsk.
Located in northern Poland, Gdynia shares with Kaohsiung a reputation as a harbor city. It is a major naval base and the first city in Poland to be certified by the World Council on City Data as a smart city. This year, Gdynia also set up its own booth at the Smart City Summit & Expo for the first time, showcasing its port innovation achievements and science park ecosystem. After the opening ceremony, Mayor Chen Chi-mai visited the booth and held in-depth discussions with the delegation, underscoring Kaohsiung’s commitment to city-to-city cooperation between Taiwan and Poland. Deputy Mayor Augustyniak was also invited to speak at the AI International Forum, where he shared Gdynia’s experience in smart mobility and digital governance.
Deputy Mayor Lo Ta-sheng warmly welcomed delegations from both Gdynia and Gdańsk, noting that as port cities, they share common ground in smart city development, as well as digital and green transformation. He indicated that exchanges through exhibitions and forums would open up further opportunities for cross-border industrial collaboration. During the visit, Deputy Mayor Lo, together with Secretary of State Karnowski and Director Bilski, witnessed the signing of an MOU between the Port of Kaohsiung and the Port of Gdynia. In addition, five Kaohsiung schools, namely the Kaohsiung Municipal Lin Yuan Senior High School, the Kaohsiung Municipal Cianjhen Senior High School, the Kaohsiung Municipal Rueisiang Senior High School, the Kaohsiung Municipal Kaohsiung Industrial High School, and the Kaohsiung Municipal Chung-Cheng Industrial High School, signed letters of intent with five schools in Gdynia, including the Col. Stanisław Dąbek Secondary School No. 5, the Adam Mickiewicz Secondary School No. 2, the Polish Navy Secondary School No. 3, as well as the Complex of Administrative and Economic Schools in Gdynia, and the Complex of Refrigeration and Electronics Schools in Gdynia. These new links are expected to strengthen school-to-school exchange and talent development, anchoring the sister-city relationship more firmly at the community level.
In his remarks, Gdynia Deputy Mayor Tomasz Augustyniak noted that “Gdynia is a city built by its port and driven by its port.” As the city marks its 100th anniversary, he said, the port remains central to its economy. He added that the Port of Kaohsiung, as a major hub in Asia, is the primary partner of choice for advancing deeper cooperation. Looking ahead, both sides will jointly enhance supply chain resilience and advance sustainable development through port transformation. This exchange further symbolizes their shared and steadfast vision for international cooperation.
Jacek Karnowski, Secretary of State at Poland’s Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy, expressed that he was honored to witness the signing of the MOU between the Port of Kaohsiung and the Port of Gdynia. He noted that while the Port of Kaohsiung is Taiwan’s largest port, the Port of Gdynia is an important gateway to Central Europe. Their new partnership not only reflects a strong commitment to closer cooperation between the two ports, but also marks an important milestone in Taiwan–Poland economic and trade relations.
Wang Chin-jung, President of Taiwan International Ports Corporation, also welcomed the Polish delegation in his remarks. He noted that the Port of Kaohsiung, with a history of more than a century, handles an annual container throughput of approximately 9 million TEUs and accounts for nearly 60% of Taiwan’s import and export cargo, making it a key hub in global shipping networks. In particular, Kaohsiung Port and the Port of Gdańsk have maintained a sister-port relationship since 2014. Meanwhile, the Port of Gdynia recorded a historic high in container throughput last year and was recognized as one of the top ten most promising ports in Europe, demonstrating strong growth momentum. He hoped the two sides would deepen cooperation in areas such as smart port development, safety management, and innovation, laying a strong foundation for Asia–Europe trade and maritime collaboration.
Chang Yen-ching, Director General of the Department of Administrative and International Affairs, noted that since sister-city ties were established last September, Kaohsiung and Gdynia have moved quickly to advance practical cooperation, including an economic cooperation MOU with the Pomeranian Science and Technology Park and an educational exchange MOU. In just six months since the establishment of the sister-city relationship last year, both sides have rapidly advanced diverse areas of cooperation, culminating in today’s port and education agreements. She also expressed appreciation for the strong support of Taiwan International Ports Corporation and the close coordination among city bureaus and departments. Looking ahead, Kaohsiung will continue broadening cooperation with Gdynia across diverse areas such as education, culture, and industry, further deepening sister-city ties and expanding the scope of cooperation.