Senate President Myron D. Jackson is part of a delegation of Virgin Islands public and private sector leaders traveling to Taiwan to participate in the Taipei Smart City Summit and Expo 2018.
The conference, a four-day event from March 27 through 30, at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, will highlight Taiwan’s expertise in intelligent urban solutions and trends.
“The opportunity and exchange in technology and science offers many possibilities for the Virgin Islands, especially at this time in our redevelopment,” Jackson said in a news release. “Business and government officials will echo to this forum that the Virgin Islands is open for telecommunications business and smart growth options in our rebuilding which will provide many options for economic development.”
The delegation is led by Anthony Weeks, managing director of St. Croix Economic Development Initiative, a macroeconomic and public policy think-tank involved in economic, business, and project development.
The trip comes as a follow-up to a visit to the Virgin Islands in January from a Taiwanese delegation led by Philip T.Y. Wang, director general of the Miami-based Taipei Economic and Cultural Office seeking business, commerce and cultural opportunities in the territory. The group also donated $20,000 to the government for toward hurricane recovery efforts. Wang extended an invitation to the summit this year.
At the Taipei summit, the goal is to seek out opportunities for smart approaches in rebuilding the infrastructure, transportation, schools, housing, and hospitals among other areas in the Virgin Islands with technology at the center, while ultimately creating a digital economy.
i HOPE THAT 20 GRAND IS USED TO HELP COVER EXPENSES BECAUSE IT DOES NOT TAKE A RHODES SCHOLAR TO FIGURE OUT THAT FIRST CLASS TICKETS ACROSS THE PACIFIC ARE NOT CHEAP. AND, ONLY ONE LEGISLATOR? HOW DID THE OTHERS MISS OUT ON THIS ONE?
Who are the PUBLIC sector employees?
What is the expected result??
Why not first approach American companies?? We are still a part of America, right???
Who is PAYING for the PRIVATE sector? Who is PAYING FOR SEDI’s related trip costs?
In other words…..
What portion of this trip is being paid for by the Legislature? For WHO?? WHY?