Kaohsiung becomes 'sister port' with Canada's Nanaimo

Vancouver, Aug. 11 (CNA) Taiwan's Port of Kaohsiung and Canada's Port of Nanaimo formally became "sister ports" on Monday during the Pacific Ports Conference in Canada, the Taiwan International Ports Corp. (TIPC) said.

The Port of Nanaimo is now Taiwan's third sister port in Canada after the Port of Vancouver and Fraser River Port.

The signing ceremony was attended by TIPC President Wang Chin-jung (王錦榮), Kaohsiung Port Branch Harbor Master Chen Tsu-chiang (陳祖強), Port of Nanaimo Board Chair Donna Hais, and Port of Nanaimo CEO Ian Marr.

Wang, who became president of the Taiwanese state-owned company in 2024, told CNA that the sister-port relationship between the Port of Kaohsiung, Taiwan's biggest port, and the Port of Nanaimo, a natural deep-water harbor located on Vancouver Island, will "benefit both sides greatly."

He noted that the Port of Kaohsiung signed a similar agreement with the Port of Vancouver in 1993, and that over the decades the two ports have maintained close ties.

"In addition to exchanges in many areas such as technology and management, this has been very helpful to the operations of Taiwanese shippers such as Evergreen Marine Corp. and Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp.," he said.

The U.S.-initiated tariff war was one of the most discussed issues at the conference, Wang said.

According to Wang, tariffs will lead to a reduction of about 500,000 to 550,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in TIPC's cargo volume, or roughly 3.8 percent of the total.

Compared with other countries, however, Taiwan's economic position and port strength remain "highly resilient and competitive," Wang said.

The conference announced that the Port of Taichung will host the 2032 annual meeting, following the Port of Kaohsiung in 2024.

This "not only demonstrates the determination of Taiwan's port group to continue deepening international exchanges, but also highlights Taiwan's soft power in the international port arena," said Vancouver Taipei Economic and Cultural Office Director-General Angel Liu (劉立欣).