Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) yesterday said he hoped the Taipei-Shanghai City Forum would be held this year despite rising cross-strait tensions, noting the need for more communication and exchanges as tensions rise.
Chiang made the remarks after Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City Councilor Ho Meng-hua (何孟樺) earlier in the day said the city government should cancel this year’s forum to protest China’s frequent military drills around Taiwan.
“Due to rising cross-strait tensions and China’s frequent military drills and threats to bomb Taipei, the city government should cancel the 2024 Taipei-Shanghai City Forum in protest,” Ho said at a meeting of the Taipei City Council’s Civil Affairs Committee.
Photo courtesy of the Taipei City Government
“If it is held in future, the city government should submit an evaluation report ... to the city council a month before the forum,” she added.
Asked about Ho’s comments, Chiang said on the sidelines of the annual Digi Taipei X exhibition: “As cross-strait tensions rise, more communication and exchanges are needed.”
“I hope the Taipei-Shanghai City Forum can still be held this year to bring a glimmer of peace and stability to cross-strait relations,” he said.
Several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei city councilors agreed, saying the city government should do its best to host the forum, strive for exchanges with international cities and submit an explanatory report if it cannot be held.
The city government should promote exchanges with international cities as much as possible, expanding beyond Shanghai, and not block any one forum, KMT Taipei City Councilor Yu Shu-hui (游淑慧) said.
“If the forum cannot be held this year, it would reflect a breakdown of semi-official communication channels between China and Taiwan, and Mayor Chiang should provide an explanation to the public and the city council,” KMT Taipei City Councilor Chan Wei-yuan (詹為元) said.
The city government hopes that the Shanghai delegation would include senior officials, but the forum’s timing is still under negotiation, Taipei City Government Secretary-General Lee Tai-hsin (李泰興) said.
The meeting, with KMT Taipei City Councilor Tseng Hsien-ying (曾獻瑩) presiding, ended with the committee passing three resolutions: The city government should initiate exchanges with cities across the Taiwan Strait and other countries; the Taipei-Shanghai City Forum should be held based on principles of equality, dignity, good intent and mutual benefit; and the city government must submit a report if the forum is not held.
The first Taipei-Shanghai City Forum was held in Taipei in April 2010. The two cities have taken turns hosting the annual meeting.
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