Kaohsiung has expanded its city diplomacy by officially forming a sister city relationship with Gdynia, Poland, on September 14th, marking its first sister city in Poland and the 43rd in total. A delegation led by Kaohsiung Deputy Mayor Lo Ta-sheng paid a return visit to Gdynia from September 14th to 16th, where he and Gdynia Mayor Aleksandra Kosiorek signed the sister city agreement. The two cities immediately launched cooperation across multiple fields as the delegation visited the Pomeranian Science and Technology Park and signed the Memorandum of Understanding Concerning the Establishment of Economic Cooperation, while also advancing education exchange through the Memorandum of Understanding for Educational Exchange between the Kaohsiung City Government and the Gdynia City Government signed in Gdynia High School No. 17. Deputy Mayor Lo stated that Kaohsiung is actively engaging with the international community, and the sister city agreement marks a new milestone in bilateral ties. Looking ahead, the two cities will deepen exchanges in education, culture, and trade, and actively foster more opportunities for cooperation.
Located in Pomerania Province in northern Poland, Gdynia is known for its harbor, much like Kaohsiung. It is home to Poland’s main naval base and, together with Gdańsk and Sopot, forms the “Tricity” metropolitan area, connected by a dense transport network with a population of about one million. Gdynia’s economy centers on its port and shipbuilding industries. It has been ranked as Poland’s happiest city and is the first in Poland to receive “Smart City” certification from the World Council on City Data (WCCD).
Gdynia and Kaohsiung have built close ties in recent years. In 2023, Gdynia Deputy Mayor Bartosz Bartoszewicz visited Kaohsiung twice with delegations. In 2024, Mayor Kosiorek and Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai signed the Letter of Intent between the City of Kaohsiung and the City of Gdynia. In March 2025, Gdynia Deputy Mayor Bartłomiej Austen led another delegation to Kaohsiung and spoke at the Forum of the Smart City Summit & Expo. In June that year, the Gdynia City Council passed a resolution supporting the sister city partnership, and Mayor Kosiorek formally invited Kaohsiung to visit for the signing of the agreement.
The signing ceremony was held on September 14th at the Emigration Museum in Gdynia, a site symbolizing the “Gate to the World,” underscoring the significance of the partnership. Deputy Mayor Lo and Mayor Kosiorek signed the sister city agreement on behalf of their cities. Distinguished attendees included Gdynia City Council Chairman Tadeusz Szemiot, Deputy Governor of Pomerania Emil Rojek, and Board Member of the Pomeranian Voivodeship Agnieszka Baranowska. The event drew coverage from numerous Polish media outlets, highlighting strong interest in Taiwan–Poland city cooperation.
In his remarks, Deputy Mayor Lo thanked the Gdynia team for their warm hospitality, noting that Gdynia’s focus on technology, innovation, and smart city development aligns with Kaohsiung’s direction. He stressed that the partnership would enable both cities to address urban governance challenges together. Mayor Kosiorek described the agreement as a concrete commitment to a long-term partnership, pledging to deepen cooperation in smart cities, education, and culture. Chairman Szemiot stressed that the sister city agreement had the strong backing of the entire council and expressed hope that in the future the two cities will also promote each other in tourism, creating a win–win situation.
The Kaohsiung delegation also visited the Pomeranian Science and Technology Park, the largest of its kind in Poland, where they held talks with the park’s management team. The park is an innovation hub, bringing together more than 200 companies. Deputy Mayor Lo and Gdynia’s First Deputy Mayor Oktawia Gorzeńska signed an MOU Concerning the Establishment of Economic Cooperation, opening the way for collaboration in small and medium-sized enterprises and startups. In education, the two city governments signed an MOU for Educational Exchange, while Kaohsiung’s Hsin Hsing Senior High School and Gdynia High School No. 17 signed the Letter of Intent for Educational Exchange.
Chang Yen-ching, Director-General of Kaohsiung’s Department of Administrative and International Affairs, highlighted that city diplomacy is a vital channel for Taiwan to strengthen international friendship. This mission, led by Deputy Mayor Lo, also achieved important results with other European partners: signing an MOU with Dresden, Germany, issuing a Declaration of Friendship with Katowice, Poland, and fostering Taiwan–Poland school exchanges. With the new sister city agreement with Gdynia, Kaohsiung has already advanced into concrete economic and educational cooperation. Looking forward, Kaohsiung will continue to promote international city exchanges with an active, open, and pragmatic approach, steadily building substantive cooperation across diverse fields.