Daniel Clausen
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Feb 20 2026
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It has change into commonplace to think about the Twenty first century because the city century (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace 2023). With roughly 70% of the inhabitants estimated to be residing in cities by 2050 (United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs 2018), it’s turning into more and more obvious that lots of the Twenty first centurys most urgent issuessuch as local weather change, financial inequality, political polarization, and securityare intertwined with metropolis politics. In the backdrop of each intensifying world issues and rising financial and political energy, cities and different subnational teams have been stepping up their world exercise, making an attempt to fill in gaps in world governance and advocacy.The rising efforts of cities and different subnational teams on the worldwide stage have been termed metropolis diplomacy, in addition to city diplomacy, native diplomacy, and subnational diplomacy; the sensible functions of metropolis diplomacy embrace the activism of mayors and metropolis officers, sister metropolis relationships, the internet hosting of worldwide occasions, and collaborating in metropolis networks, to call however a number of (seeAcuto 2013,2021;Marchetti 2021;Van der Pluijm & Melissen 2007).
In the early 2010s, Michelle Acuto (2013, 1-3) might fairly declare that cities had been the invisible gorilla in world politics: extremely impactful entities that had been ignored by a scholarly neighborhood overly centered on states. However, since Acuto gave recognition to the invisible gorilla, a burgeoning subfield has emerged that has expanded our understanding of metropolis actions on the worldwide stage. This scholarship has grown hand in hand with the precise maturity of metropolis diplomacy. With the evolution of this subfield, we now have a deeper understanding of the capability of cities to behave by way of their monetary assets, administrative group, and coaching (Kosovac et al. 2020); the rising position of metropolis networks in addressing world points (Acuto 2013, 2021; Marchetti 2021, 78-81;Miyazaki 2021); the enticing smooth energy of cities (Grincheva 2020; Marchetti 2021, 82-84); and the persevering with relevance of sister metropolis connections (De Villiers, Smit, & De Coning 2007).
For this text, Yokohama and Taipei have been chosen for example numerous functions of profitable or proactive metropolis diplomacy. By evaluating features of those cities, the essay hopes to uncover insights that might improve the apply of metropolis diplomacy and contribute to the increasing physique of literature looking for to professionalize this discipline (for instance,Meridian International Center 2025).
The City Diplomacy of Yokohama
The metropolis of Yokohama resides simply south of Tokyo, dealing with Tokyo Bay. As a port metropolis with greater than 3.5 million residents, it’s the second most populous metropolis in Japan and is a component of a bigger city space that features Tokyo. Thecity of Yokohamaespecially started to flourish as a port metropolis for worldwide commerce following the opening of Japan through the Meiji Restoration within the mid-Nineteenth century (Encyclopedia Britannica 2025b). Yokohamas method to metropolis diplomacy contains technical cooperation between cities, activism on world points equivalent to local weather change, peace, and improvement, in addition to sister metropolis relationships.
A major side of Yokohamas method to metropolis diplomacy is its use of a publicly out there International Strategy pamphlet, which highlights previous actions and units broad themes for its method to world outreach (City of Yokohama, International Affairs Bureau 2021). TheCity of Yokohama International Strategy, drafted in 2016 and revised in 2021, outlines the citys plan to boost its world engagement. The doc outlines three targets: foster an inclusive society and empower the following era to bridge cities and other people; interact dynamic overseas organizations and people to develop Yokohamas economic system; and improve cooperation to handle world points and promote peace and prosperity (City of Yokohama, International Affairs Bureau 2021, 4). Much of the brief technique pamphlet represents aspirational language that’s helpful for public relations. However, its very existence factors to professionalism on the a part of the town and its willingness to create a typical blueprint for worldwide and home companions.
An vital pillar of Yokohamas diplomatic technique is its participation in metropolis networks and worldwide organizations. Its actions by these organizations promote its agenda in peacebuilding, sustainability, and local weather change. For instance, Yokohama grew to become a member of theC40 Citiesin 2010 and even gained an award within the Clean Energy class in 2016 for itsYokohama Smart City Project (YSCP), a smart-energy and decarbonization mission enacted in cooperation with 34 main Japanese corporations (City of Yokohama 2020; City of Yokohama, International Affairs Bureau 2021). Additionally, the citys recognition as a UN Peace Messenger City, together with its actions by the Mayors for Peace group, helps promoteYokohamas peace-making aspirations(City of Yokohama 2019). Other notable actions embrace its participation in ICLEI Local Government for Sustainability, the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance, and the SDGs Leadership City Network (City of Yokohama 2020; City of Yokohama, International Affairs Bureau 2021).
Another key pillar to Yokohamas diplomatic technique is the promotion of its experience in city improvement. Initiated in 2011, theY-PortProgram is a public-private partnership that brings collectively Yokohama metropolis officers, native civic organizations, accomplice cities, and worldwide entities to assist remedy environmental issues associated to city improvement all through Asia. The applications supporters embrace main Japanese corporations equivalent to JGC Corporation and Chiyoda Corporation; accomplice cities like Batam City, Indonesia, and Cebu City, Philippines; and key worldwide organizations such because the Asian Development Bank (ADB), to call just some. Examples of tasks undertaken by this mission embrace bettering water and sanitation circumstances in Metro Cebu, Philippines; advancing Japans autonomous driving expertise in Thailand; and helping with solar energy era set up and administration in components of Thailand (City of Yokohama n.d.; City of Yokohama 2018).
Yokohama haseight sister cities and 7 accomplice citiesin complete, lots of which had been shaped in a roughly twenty-year span from 1957 to 1977 (City of Yokohama 2025). Like different cities all through the world, Yokohama centered on cities with shared attributes; within the case of Yokohama, fellow port cities. The significance of Yokohamas sister metropolis relationships could be witnessed in its help for Odesa, Ukraine. In March 2023, the mayor of Odesa visited Yokohama to thank the town for its help through the Russian invasion of Ukraine. During the go to, the 2 cities promised to deepen collaboration on post-war reconstruction, culminating within the signing of aMemorandum of Understandingon sustainable city improvement. Since the conflict started, Yokohama has dedicated to offering humanitarian support, technical cooperation, and assist with rebuilding vital infrastructure (City of Yokohama Global Offices 2023; United Nations Development Programme 2023).
The City Diplomacy of Taipei
The metropolis ofTaipeiis one other instructive instance of metropolis diplomacy. Taipei is the capital and political heart of Taiwan (Republic of China) and residential to over 2.5 million residents (Encyclopedia Britannica 2025a). One key perform of Taipeis method to metropolis diplomacy is toovercome Taiwans political isolation(see Ferenczy 2020; Newland 2023). This motivation is commonly obvious inthe activism of Taipeis mayorin worldwide boards and conferences world wide (see, for instance, Taipei City Government 2025a). Through its many efforts, whether or not it’s selling its cultural heritage, demonstrating its experience on sustainable improvement and good metropolis expertise, or increasing its sister metropolis connections, one can see a metropolis that’s striving to achieve world recognition.
Taipeis involvement in metropolis networks and worldwide organizations is a vital side of its world diplomacy. The metropolis is a member of the United Cities and Local Governments, Asia-Pacific Branch (UCLG-ASPAC), the place it holds an govt place (Taipei City Government 2024). Though not a member of C40 Cities, it has nonetheless gained recognition for its efforts on environmental points, garnering theC40 Cities Citizens Choice Award in 2014(Brittlebank 2014). Other notable actions embrace Taipeis participation inSister Cities International, CITYNET, the Asia Pacific Cities Summit, and the World Cities Summit, to call just some (Taipei City Government 2024). In numerous methods, these organizations assist to develop Taipeis presence on the worldwide stage and promote dialogue on vital points equivalent to smart-city applied sciences. On the problem of smart-city applied sciences, Taipeis world impression is important. Taipeis contributions embrace internet hosting theSmart City Summit & Expo (SCSE)and the creation of theGlobal Organization of Smart Cities (GO SMART), which boasts greater than 2,000 members worldwide (Smart City Online n.d.; Taipei City Government 2023).
TheSongshan Cultural and Creative Parkis one other vital component in Taipeis world engagement. The facility, which was a former tobacco manufacturing facility, was repurposed in 2011 and now serves as a showcase and incubator for artistic industries. The park has hosted vital design occasions, together with the Golden Pin Design Award, Red Dot Design Award exhibitions, and Creative Expo Taiwan. Additionally, it operates the Taiwan Design Museum and runs worldwide scholar ambassador applications. As a artistic hub, the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park demonstrates the significance of city areas as enticing smooth energy (Chiu & Spinney 2024; Taipei City Government Cultural Affairs Bureau n.d.).
Taipei has53 sister cities, 3 accomplice cities, and 5 friendship citiesworldwide, with agreements formalized between 1961 and 2024. The geographical variety of those relationships is sort of spectacular, with the primary sister metropolis relationship being with Houston, US, in 1961 and the most recent being Basseterre, Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, in 2025 (Taipei City Government 2025b). Beyond the standard rationales of training and cultural exchanges, enterprise investments, and sharing city improvement know-how, these relationships enable Taipei to enhance Taiwans visibility on the worldwide stage.
Maturing City Diplomacy Case-by-Case
There is a rising pattern towards the professionalization of metropolis diplomacy and the unfold of finest practices. We see this particularly within the efforts of organizations such asC40s Knowledge Hub,the City Diplomacy Lab, and theMelbourne Centre for Cities, to call just some, working to enhance metropolis diplomacy practices. We additionally see this within the rising quantity ofacademic publications dedicated to metropolis diplomacy. This literature has grown little-by-little usually by understanding the precise instances of cities, notably the successes of every metropolis.
Both Yokohama and Taipei are vital instances as a result of they display a maturing method to metropolis diplomacy. These two cities share a robust emphasis on sustainable city improvement and expertise, particularly good metropolis programs. Yokohama demonstrates its technical experience by initiatives just like the Y-Port Center, which has been a platform for its experience on water and waste administration and different city improvement providers. Taipei can be eager to share its technical experience by participation in worldwide conferences and occasions. Both cities are additionally contributors in vital world metropolis networks with a deal with combating local weather change and concrete air pollution. However, there are additionally vital variations. Taipei seeks to make use of its metropolis diplomacy to boost legitimacy and visibility on the worldwide stage, emphasizing cultural exchanges and sister metropolis partnerships, whereas Yokohama seeks to guide on expertise-driven city improvement that makes use of public-private partnerships.
Together, Yokohama and Taipei illustrate two distinct however complementary fashions of metropolis diplomacy: one pushed by technical cooperation and improvement experience, the opposite by smooth energy and political visibility. Their approaches reveal how cities can act as vibrant worldwide actorsadvancing native pursuits, strengthening world ties, and shaping worldwide discourse from the municipal stage.
As the Twenty first century advances, we are able to count on examples like Yokohama and Taipei to change into much more vital. City diplomacy, in addition to different examples of subnational diplomacy, is turning into more and more very important as state-level diplomacy turns into acrimonious, brittle, and topic to the whims of particular person leaders (for a dialogue, seeEconomist 2025). We see these variations more and more in headlines that present subnational actors working round worldwide deficiencies and deadlocks, for instance, within the resolution ofNew York (in addition to the states of California and Illinois) to affix the WHOs Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN)within the aftermath of the USs withdrawal from the WHO (Singh 2026). These sorts of variations to the shortcomings of state-level diplomacy present hope to those that imagine the options to Twenty first-century issues lie in additional world cooperation, not much less. Thus, metropolis diplomacy, although vital, maybe ought to be thought-about half of a bigger story of worldwide political activism under, round, and past state diplomacy that’s working actively to cowl gaps in world problem-solving. Though not an entire panacea to the deficiencies of state-level diplomacy, the efforts of citiesand different world actorsshould at the very least be seen as trigger for cautious hope.
This paper was developed from a brief essaypublished in Global Policy Onlineon August 1, 2025.
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Further Reading on E-International Relations
- City Diplomacy: The Case for Eclectic (and Humble) Theorizing
- Opinion Beijings Weaponisation of Diplomacy Against Taiwan
- Dashing Lines and Faking History: The Complicated History of Taipeis Maritime Claims
- The Art of Diplomacy: Museums and Soft Power
- Sino-Taiwan Chequebook Diplomacy within the Pacific
- Kathmandu: City of Peace, Economies of Scale and Cultural Diversity
About The Author(s)
Daniel Clausenis an Associate Professor at Nagasaki University of Foreign Studies. His analysis has been printed in Asian Politics and Policy, Electronic Journal of Contemporary Japanese Studies, and East Asia Forum, amongst different publications. He has additionally written a number of novels and brief story collections. You can be taught extra about his work on his Amazon pagehereor on his Goodreads pagehere.
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City DiplomacyTaipeiYokohama