Taipei-Shanghai forum aims to maintain cross-strait peace: Mayor Chiang

Taipei, Dec. 10 (CNA) Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) reaffirmed on Tuesday that his administration will host Shanghai officials at the upcoming Taipei-Shanghai City Forum to help promote peace across the Taiwan Strait.

Speaking at a city government meeting, the Kuomintang mayor described the annual forum as a rare platform for official cross-strait dialogue, which he said could help ease tensions between Taiwan and China.

"It is better to understand each other than to misunderstand," Chiang said, adding that Taiwan has had limited exchanges with China in recent years.

Chiang emphasized that the forum aims to facilitate exchanges between Taipei and Shanghai, saying "for sure we work hard to maintain peace across the Taiwan Strait."

The forum has been held annually since its inception in 2010. Chiang, who took office in 2022, led a delegation of over 100 members to Shanghai in 2023 in his first attendance as mayor.

This year, a 102-member Shanghai delegation, led by Hua Yuan (華源), one of the city's eight vice mayors, will visit Taipei. The two cities are expected to sign memorandums of understanding on smart medical care and zoo animal exchanges.

However, the decision to host the Shanghai delegation has drawn criticism, given the recent increasing People's Liberation Army (PLA) activity.

Wu Szu-yao (吳思瑤), the Democratic Progressive Party legislative caucus whip, criticized Chiang for what she described as a reversal of his earlier stance.

Citing Chiang's previous remarks that he would not host the forum if PLA activities threatened Taiwan, Wu noted that 47 Chinese aircraft were reported in Taiwan's air defense identification zone in the 24-hour period starting 6 a.m. Monday.

Wu also questioned the forum's protocol, arguing that Hua's lower position in the Shanghai government raises concerns about the balance of representation.