Taipei deputy mayor leads delegation to Shanghai for city-level summit

Taipei, Dec. 27 (CNA) Taipei Deputy Mayor Lin Yi-hua (林奕華), who led a delegation to Shanghai on Saturday for a bilateral city-level summit, said ahead of her departure that the two sides would exchange experiences in urban governance.

Speaking to reporters at Taoyuan International Airport, Lin said she hoped the 16th edition of the Taipei-Shanghai City Summit would continue to foster mutual learning between the two cities.

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) is only planning to attend the summit on its second and final day Sunday.

He was staying in Taipei on Saturday to ensure that appropriate security measures were in place for large-scale New Year's Eve events in the wake of a mass stabbing in the city on Dec. 19 that left four people dead, including the attacker, according to the city.

Lin said two memoranda of understanding related to water management and skills training exchanges will be signed during the summit, and forums on health technology, senior citizen health, and the concert economy will offer opportunities to exchange ideas.

She said the delegation consists of 120 people, including the Taipei City Council speaker and 10 other councilors, as well as various city government officials, scholars and experts.

According to the Taipei City government, the delegation will visit several sites in Shanghai after its arrival, including the Mercedes-Benz Arena, a simulation laboratory at Zhongshan Hospital, and the Gate M West Bund Dream Center, a vibrant cultural and lifestyle hub.

The Shanghai side will also host a dinner reception on the first day of the summit. The delegation will return to Taiwan on Sunday evening after meeting with representatives of various Taiwanese businesses in the Chinese city.

The annual Taipei-Shanghai City Summit is currently the only platform for direct exchanges between officials on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. Last year's event was held in Taipei, also in December.