Annual Taipei-Shanghai forum to be held virtually Dec. 1

Taipei, Nov. 22 (CNA) The annual Taipei-Shanghai forum will be held virtually for the second year in a row on Dec. 1, with discussions centered on cultural exchanges as well as the post-COVID-19 economy, the Taipei City government said Monday.

Taking into consideration the quarantine measures that currently remain on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, the two cities have agreed to settle for a videoconference again this year, the city government said in a statement.

The 2021 twin-city forum will be based on the theme of "New Economy and New Development" and will feature speeches on the post-pandemic digital transformation of industries as well as talks on museums and architecture.

According to the city government in Taipei, the two cities also plan to sign a three-area memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will cover cooperation on zoos, Chinese orchestras and technological innovation.

Citing Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), the city government said the Taipei-Shanghai exchanges had always been held based on shared values such as mutual understanding, mutual respect and mutual cooperation.

They added that the mayor believes both sides should conduct dialogue and exchanges to build goodwill and promote mutual trust.

The twin-city meeting was originally scheduled this year for June in Shanghai but was postponed due to an outbreak of domestic COVID-19 cases in Taiwan.

The forum was launched in 2010 by former Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-pin (郝龍斌) of the Kuomintang, with each city taking turns to host it.

The main purpose of the forum is to promote city-to-city interactions with a focus on urban administration and economic development.

A total of 36 MOUs related to exchanges and cooperation have been signed between the two cities since the launch of the annual forum.