San Jose, the high-tech hub of the United States, has officially designated October 25, 2025, as Taiwan Day in a City Council meeting held earlier this week. Mayor Matt Mahan personally presented a certificate of recognition to Wu Chih-hsiang, the director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco.
The certificate, co-signed by the Mayor of San Jose and all city council members, highlights the significant contributions of the Taiwanese American community to the city, the longstanding sister city relationship between San Jose and Tainan since 1977, and the efforts of the local Chinese American Cultural Foundation in supporting the renovation of the Chinese cultural park. The Chinese Cultural Park located in Overfelt Gardens in San Jose was constructed in the 1970s with donations from Taiwan.
During his acceptance speech, Director Wu expressed his honor to witness the proclamation of October 25 as Taiwan Day in San Jose City Council meeting. He conveyed the sincere gratitude of the Taiwanese people for this meaningful recognition.
Director Wu particularly praised the multiculturalism and innovation spirit of San Jose, as well as the city’s long-standing support for Taiwan and overseas Taiwanese. He emphasized the outstanding contributions of Taiwanese Americans to the cultural, technological, and economic development of San Jose and the entire San Francisco Bay Area. He highlighted the deep friendship built on shared values of freedom, human rights, and democracy, and expressed hopes for further strengthening friendship and cooperation in the future.
As the initiator of this naming initiative, Councilor Peter Ortiz stated in his speech, “Let us honor the resilience, democracy, and innovative spirit of the Taiwanese community on Taiwan Day, and look forward to maintaining peace, prosperity, and friendship between the two countries in the future.”
In an interview with the media, Ortiz emphasized the importance of recognizing the contributions of the Taiwanese community in the Chinese Cultural Park within his district as an elected councilor. He mentioned his interest in visiting Taiwan in the future, despite never having been there before.
Chairman Lin Da-rui of the Chinese American Cultural Foundation expressed his gratitude to the Mayor and City Council of San Jose for their recognition of the Taiwanese community. He highlighted the pride in seeing the flag of the Republic of China flying alongside the US flag in front of the San Jose City Hall for a week, marking a significant moment of recognition for the Taiwanese community.
Director Zhuang Ya-shu of the South Bay Overseas Chinese Education Center noted in an interview with Epoch Times that the naming of Taiwan Day represents the result of long-term efforts by the Taiwanese community and signifies a progress in diplomacy between Taiwan and the United States.
Former President of the Taiwan Chamber of Commerce, Chou Hsin-chieh, shared in an interview with Epoch Times that the relationship between San Jose and Taiwan has a long history. He recalled a gesture of goodwill during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when he, on behalf of the Taiwan Chamber of Commerce, donated 30,000 masks to then-Mayor Sam Liccardo due to the shortage of masks in the United States. Despite Liccardo’s departure from the city to become a congressman, the Taiwanese community and the city government have maintained a good relationship.
San Jose, being the largest city in the Silicon Valley region, is renowned as the world capital of high technology. It is currently the 12th largest city in the United States by population and serves as the headquarters for numerous globally recognized high-tech companies including Adobe, Cisco, eBay, PayPal, and Zoom.