{"id":2397,"date":"2026-07-09T08:05:58","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T08:05:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2397"},"modified":"2026-07-09T08:05:58","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T08:05:58","slug":"blangiardi-meets-taiwan-delegation-over-chinatown-cultural-plaza-redevelopment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2397","title":{"rendered":"Blangiardi meets Taiwan delegation over Chinatown Cultural Plaza redevelopment"},"content":{"rendered":"
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HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi met Wednesday with a delegation from Taiwan for two days of talks on plans to redevelop the Chinatown Cultural Plaza on Beretania Street.<\/p>\n

Read more Hawaii AG calls on FCC to crack down on illegal robocalls<\/a><\/p>\n

The $52 million, 4-acre property owned by the Taiwanese government has fallen into disrepair and become a draw for crime.<\/p>\n

The mayor is seeking to finalize an agreement with Taiwan officials. Tenants and business owners say they have been dealing with deteriorating conditions and uncertainty over the plaza\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

Restaurant owner says business is suffering<\/h2>\n

Legend Seafood Restaurant has operated at the Chinatown Cultural Plaza for 43 years serving delicious dim sum. Owner John Ho said the the plaza\u2019s unclear future has cost him customers.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u201cWe need help. We are losing a lot of reservation, a lot of wedding party,\u201d Ho said.<\/p>\n

Ho is looking for a new location while continuing to serve customers at his current space.<\/p>\n

Mayor previously announced demolition agreement<\/h2>\n

After months without a response from Taiwanese officials, the issue got Hawaii and international media attention.<\/p>\n

In May, Blangiardi announced at a conference that Taiwan had agreed to demolish the Chinatown Cultural Plaza with a target date of early January 2027.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve agreed to tear it down,\u201d Blangiardi said at the time. \u201cI told them they had to. I was going to use eminent domain, but they did.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a June 1 interview with Hawaii News Now, Blangiardi softened his public remarks.<\/p>\n

Read more Commission refers Luke campaign finance complaint to attorney general<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m confident about what we\u2019re going to do, but I want to give the courtesy to Taiwanese government, who\u2019s now come forward and work in collaboration with us,\u201d Blangiardi said.<\/p>\n

Taiwan issues statement ahead of talks<\/h2>\n

Before this week\u2019s meetings, Taiwan\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying in part that Songhe Company, which has operated the Chinatown Cultural Plaza, \u201crecognizes the need for a comprehensive redevelopment plan.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The statement said Songhe Company agrees \u201cto consult with the City and County of Honolulu regarding the applicable laws, regulations, and its vision for redeveloping the current site of the Chinatown Cultural Plaza.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ministry also said Songhe Company \u201cwill terminate the relevant leases in accordance with the terms of the lease agreements to ensure that the rights and interests of existing tenants are fully protected.\u201d<\/p>\n

Community leader expresses skepticism<\/h2>\n

Chu Lan Shubert-Kwock, president of the Chinatown Business & Community Association, said she doubts the Taiwanese government will follow through.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, no. My deepest gut feeling is that they playing us,\u201d Shubert-Kwock said.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Ho said customers call the restaurant asking whether it is still open.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel very sad and a lot of customers they call us almost every day. They say are you guys still open?\u201d Ho said.<\/p>\n

The mayor\u2019s spokesman said the outcome of the talks would be released following the meetings.<\/p>\n

Read more Falling construction debris prompts road closure in Honolulu<\/a><\/p>\n

Previous coverage<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi is meeting with Taiwan officials to discuss redeveloping the Chinatown Cultural Plaza as tenants cite deteriorating conditions and uncertainty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":710,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nBlangiardi meets Taiwan delegation over Chinatown Cultural Plaza redevelopment - Hawaii Moving Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2397\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Blangiardi meets Taiwan delegation over Chinatown Cultural Plaza redevelopment - 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