As Kaohsiung Hosts 2013 Asia Pacific Cities Summit Mayor Chu Chen and Lord Mayor of Brisbane Graham Quirk Declare Official Opening at Launch Ceremony

KAOHSIUNG, TAIWAN--(Marketwire - Oct 23, 2012) - Kaohsiung will be hosting the biennial Asia Pacific Cities Summit (APCS) in the autumn of 2013. The mayor of Kaohsiung, Chu Chen, and the Lord Mayor of Brisbane presided over the official launch event and welcomed participants from world class cities, including China, to attend the summit held on the 9^th to 11^th of September next year.

APCS has been an initiative of the Brisbane City Council since 1996 and attracts delegates from over 100 cities. Past events have been held in Seattle, USA, Chongqing China, Incheon and other key cities in the Asia Pacific. In recent years, Kaohsiung has actively participated in hosting international conventions in order to enhance its international visibility and brand image. City government was awarded the honor of hosting the 2013 edition of the Summit in the face of stiff competition from other bidding finalists Daejeon, Korea and Kunming, China.

Speaking at the announcement of the Summit, the mayor of Brisbane, Graham Quirk, mentioned the 15-year sister city relationship between Brisbane and Kaohsiung while expressing confidence in Mayor Chu Chen and her teams, to successfully host the 2013 APCS and strengthen both cities' friendly relationships with other world cities.

Chu Chen indicated that all world cities are engaged in the effort to raise their international profile and quality of life, including Kaohsiung. She's delighted to share the "Kaohsiung experience" with the world, which saw Kaohsiung transformed from an industrial harbor city of past decades into an ecological and very livable cosmopolitan city. Furthermore, she also expects that the experience of hosting such a prestigious event as the APCS will provide an important boost of energy and knowledge management for further and more diversified international prospects.

Themed "Reshaping the Urbanomics of Cities - City Challenges, City Solutions," the City has invited Lord Sebastian Coe, the chair and chief architect of the London 2012 Olympic Games as a high profile keynote speaker, well able to share the successful experience of the seeing derelict inner city areas regenerated by the Olympics project in East London.

Chu also commits the 2013 APCS to continue the award winning energy conscious and environmental protective legacy passed on from the 2009 World Games. In addition to having a green MICE powered paperless convention, Kaohsiung government also has other ambitious plans to reduce the carbon footprint of the convention itself.