Speech by Lim Guan Eng whilst witnessing the signing ceremony of the Friendship City Status between Taipei and Penang at the Taipei City Government Office on Monday, 28^th March 2011 released on 29^th March 2011: 

Penang's Friendship City status with Taipei City strengthens people to people relationship and allows Penang to learn from Taipei's success in transforming itself into an international city 

Penang's friendship city status with Taipei City strengthens people to people relationship and allows Penang to learn from Taipei's success in transforming itself into an international city. As Penang can not compete with cities like Singapore, Hong Kong or Taiwan, Penang aspires to find our own niche as an international city that is also an intelligent city.

Penang can succeed in becoming an intelligent city by stressing on our availability of human talent on 6 key aspects of intelligence:-

1. Human intelligence that is the competitive advantage endowed on Penangites;

2. Collective intelligence is the ability of Penangites to manage, harness and combine the individual intelligence synergistically;

3. Digital intelligence by broadening broadband connectivity and increasing broadband penetraton;

4. Institutional intelligence to ensure that the government, private sector and civil society respect rule of law and do not adopt bad behaviours that drives away the best and brightest;

5. Integrity intelligence to ensure integrity in leadership and zero corruption; and

6. Residual intelligence acquired naturally by Penangites from 40 years of experience with the electronic and electrical industry.

Both cities are already bonded by educational ties and common heritage of Sun Yat Sen; linked by business investments and trade; and driven by shared values of freedom, democracy and pursuit of excellence. Today's signing ceremony between the Mayor of Taipei Dr Hau Lung Bin and Penang's Mayoress Patahiyah binti Ismail will only deepen ties between our people.

*Lim Guan Eng, Penang Chief Minister