Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng (韓正) will visit Taipei next week and sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Taipei City Government on culture, travel, technology and environmental protection exchanges, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) said yesterday.
Han is scheduled to arrive in Taipei on Tuesday morning for a four-day visit. He is expected to attend a forum on city-to-city exchanges on Tuesday afternoon and sign the MOU with Hau.
Hau yesterday dismissed speculation that the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) was opposed to Taipei’s plan to sign an MOU, adding that the city government had followed regulations and sent a draft of the document to council and the Ministry of the Interior on March 18.
Hau said he had high expectations for Han’s visit, adding he hoped it would open the door to more exchanges between cities across the Taiwan Strait.
“Both Taipei and Shanghai are major getaways across the Taiwan Strait. Hopefully the exchanges will set a great example for city-to-city diplomacy and have a deep impact on cross-strait relations at the city level,” Hau said at Taipei City Hall.
Asked whether the city government would refrain from hanging national flags at the forum or venues during Han’s visit, Hau said the city would not make any “adjustments” for the Chinese delegation.
“Everything will remain the same. We will make the same arrangements we make when other foreign guests come on a visit,” he said.
Han will use the forum to promote the World Expo, which will open in Shanghai on May 1. Taipei City will have a “Taipei Hall” at the expo, where it will showcase the city’s achievements in building a broadband wireless network and in recycling.
Hau will leave for Shanghai on April 30 to attend the opening of the expo.
Han is also expected to visit high schools in Taipei and assess municipal developments — including a ride on the MRT.
RSS