MAC plays down Taipei-Shanghai forum after entry-permit criticism

Taipei, Sept. 17 (CNA) The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday played down the significance of the annual Taipei-Shanghai Twin-City Forum after Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) criticized reported restrictions on a visiting Shanghai delegation.

"People should not attach so much importance to the Twin-City Forum," MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a regular news briefing in Taipei.

"It has, in fact, played no role in promoting peace," Liang said, adding that the Taipei City government, led by Chiang of the opposition Kuomintang, "should not regard its exchanges with Shanghai as something extraordinary."

Launched in 2010, the forum promotes exchanges between the Taipei and Shanghai city governments, with the two cities taking turns hosting the annual event.

Liang said the forum was no different from other local-level exchanges, citing the annual Two Lakes Forum between Nantou County and Hangzhou as an example.

His remarks came after the Chinese-language United Daily News reported Wednesday that the MAC had rejected an application for Li Xiaodong (李驍東), deputy director of Shanghai's Taiwan Affairs Office, to enter Taiwan as head of a delegation preparing for the forum, which is expected to be held in Taipei in December.

According to the report, only division-level official Xu Hao (徐皓) was permitted to lead the delegation, which arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday without Li.

Responding to the report Wednesday, Chiang described the forum as "simply an exchange on municipal affairs" that had been held for years.

"The more difficult cross-strait relations become, the more communication and exchanges are needed," Chiang said, calling on MAC to explain the reported restrictions.

Asked Thursday why Li had not been allowed to visit Taiwan, Liang neither confirmed that the MAC had rejected his application nor commented on the individual case.

The government receives many applications involving Chinese provincial and municipal officials, Liang said.

"Some we approve, and some we reject," he said. "We don't explain the reasons case by case."

Liang also rejected the idea that exchanges such as the forum could help deter Chinese military activity, citing comments made Wednesday by China's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO).

"If it wants to conduct military drills, it will conduct military drills. If it wants to intimidate, it will intimidate," Liang said. "You want to use exchanges to stop its military drills? No way."

At a news briefing Wednesday, TAO spokesperson Zhu Fenglian (朱鳳蓮) said the forum had been held for 16 consecutive years and had become "an important platform for cross-strait exchanges and cooperation."

Zhu accused Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party government of obstructing preparations for the forum.

Asked separately about Chinese military drills announced one day after last year's forum, Zhu said linking the event to the drills was "meaningless."