November 16, 2015
No. 261
A four-member delegation of Germany’s Bavarian state parliamentary working committee on military policy led by MP Jurgen Heike is visiting Taiwan from November 16 to 20 at the invitation of the ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The trip will give the delegation a better understanding of Taiwan’s political and economic developments as well as its relations with mainland China. The visitors will call at the ministries of the interior, national defense, and economic affairs, as well as the Mainland Affairs Council and German Institute Taipei. Their itinerary also includes visits to Neihu Science Park, the National Palace Museum, Taipei 101, Lungshan Temple, and Taroko National Park.
The Bavarian state parliamentary working committee on military policy comprises members from different political parties. MP Heike, who visited Taiwan in 2010, is an important member of this group, and has served as state secretary of the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior as well as the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Family and Integration. Other members of the delegation include Prof. Dr. Paul Gantzer, who led a delegation from the Social Democratic Party to Taiwan in 2006 during his tenure as vice president of the Bavarian state parliament; Tanja Schorer-Dremel, a member of the Christian Social Union; and Stefanie Ritthammer, a policy planning specialist for the CSU caucus.
Bavaria and Taiwan engage in frequent exchanges. The city of Starnberg has a sister relationship with New Taipei City, while Marktheidenfeld has sister ties with Taitung County. Four Bavarian secondary schools enjoy partnerships with Taiwan senior high schools. In addition, 21 universities in Bavaria have concluded 45 exchange and cooperation programs with 28 universities in Taiwan. (E)