Taipei-Shanghai City Forum postponed

Taipei, Sept. 22 (CNA) The 2025 Taipei-Shanghai City Forum, the only platform for direct exchanges between officials on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, will not take place in September as scheduled due to "unresolved details," the Taipei City government said Monday.

In a news release, the city government said both sides agreed the annual forum should be well-prepared rather than rushed.

Deputy Mayor Lin Yi-hua (林奕華) told reporters the city government is still working on two memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with Taiwan's central government and its Shanghai counterpart.

The postponement followed reports that Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) of the Kuomintang (KMT) would lead a delegation to Shanghai on Thursday for a three-day visit to attend the forum.

According to Lin, the city government sent the MOUs to the central government about a month ago to comply with regulations. One is awaiting approval from several agencies, while details of the other are still under negotiation, she said.

Earlier Monday, KMT Taipei City Councilor Chan Wei-yuan (詹為元) accused the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) and other agencies of inefficiency and deliberate obstruction, saying such behavior would not help build mutual trust or ease cross-strait tensions.

Asked to comment, Lin said it was "not necessarily MAC" that had yet to approve the documents, but stressed that the city government needs support from the central government.

"If central government agencies do not agree with any part, we would have to discuss the matter further with the Shanghai side," she said.

Meanwhile, MAC rejected speculation that it was hindering the forum.

MAC Deputy Minister and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said the agency has been providing assistance, and that a consensus was reached on Friday to greenlight the trip this week. He described the cancellation as "unexpected."

"The Immigration Agency had planned to issue the visas today, so I am surprised by the Taipei City government's decision, but I have little idea about its reason," he said.

Despite the postponement, Liang said Taipei and Shanghai will continue working on the forum, believing that a better-prepared event can improve cross-strait relations.