Tainan's Annan District and Hokkaido's Tsurui Village signed a friendly exchange agreement to jointly promote ecological tourism and education cooperation.

Taijiang is a habitat for world-class birds such as the black-faced spoonbill. (Provided by Annan District Office)

Wei Wengui, the mayor of Annan District in Tainan City, and Masayuki Masakishi, the mayor of Tsurui Village in Hokkaido, Japan, signed the "Friendly Exchange Agreement between Annan District in Tainan City and Tsurui Village in Hokkaido" across the sea. The black-faced spoonbills in Taijiang and the red-crowned cranes in Kushiro Wetland witnessed the deep friendship between the two places. The two sides look forward to more cooperation and exchanges in ecology, tourism and education in the future.

With the assistance of the Director of the Sapporo Branch of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan, and early exchanges with the Formosa Wild Bird Conservation Association, Annan District and Tsurui Village in Hokkaido formed an alliance. Wei Wengui pointed out that Annan District and Tsurui Village have very similar ecologies and industries. Taijiang National Park and Sicao Waterbird Sanctuary in Annan District are habitats for black-faced spoonbills and other international birds. They are based on agriculture and fishery and are important tourist bases in Tainan. Tsurui Village in Hokkaido is famous for the Kushiro Wetlands and "an important habitat for red-crowned cranes" and also has a booming agriculture, forestry and animal husbandry industry.

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Wei Wengui said that the signing is not just a ceremony, but also a commitment. Based on mutual trust and respect, both parties hope to promote five major cooperation directions: "deepening understanding and cooperation", "exchanges on wild bird conservation", "promoting tourism resources", "inheriting education from generation to generation", and "co-prosperity and sustainable development", establishing a friendly partnership, promoting wetland and ecological conservation, and driving transnational tourism and cultural experiences.

Tsurui Village in Hokkaido is famous as an important habitat for red-crowned cranes. (Provided by Annan District Office)

Annan District Mayor Wei Wengui (pictured) signed the "Friendly Exchange Agreement between Tainan City's Annan District and Hokkaido Tsurui Village" across the sea. (Provided by Annan District Office)