Taipei-Shanghai summit to focus on technology, innovation: Chiang

Taipei, Dec. 11 (CNA) Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) on Thursday said an upcoming bilateral city-level summit with Shanghai in China will focus on technology, innovation, water management and vocational training.

The 2025 Taipei-Shanghai City Summit, to be held over two days from Dec. 27 to 28, will be conducted under the principles of equality, dignity, goodwill, and reciprocity, Chiang said during a Taipei City Council interpellation session.

During the session, Chiang said that over the past 15 years, the annual summit has focused on municipal exchanges and produced concrete results.

He added that the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) reviewed the city's application in accordance with regulations, noting that the event does not involve politics or the central government.

Asked why the summit is only two days, Chiang said scheduling was challenging because it is the end of the year and the council is reviewing the budget, leaving only those two days that worked for both cities.

According to a Taipei City Government news release, more details about the annual meeting will be provided to the public once additional administrative arrangements are finalized.

In a separate statement on Thursday, the MAC said there were no rules about the length of the summit, and that the Taipei City government's decision to hold it over two days was based on its own considerations and unrelated to the political climate.

Meanwhile, MAC Deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) offered three reminders -- the summit should focus on municipal exchanges; any changes to the originally approved schedule must be communicated in advance; and no agreements may be signed without prior approval from the central government.

Concerning two planned memoranda of understanding to be signed during the summit, Liang said one involves the issue of water management, while the other is related to vocational training.

The annual city forum is currently the only platform for direct exchanges between officials on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. The event last year was held in Taipei, also in December.