The annual Shanghai-Taipei Twin-City Forum, the only platform for direct exchanges between officials on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, would not take place this month as scheduled due to “unresolved details,” the Taipei City Government said yesterday.
The city government said in a statement that both sides agreed the annual forum should be well-prepared rather than rushed.
Taipei Deputy Mayor Lin Yi-hua (林奕華) said the city government is still working on two memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with the central government and its Shanghai counterpart.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
The postponement followed reports that Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would lead a delegation to Shanghai on Thursday for a three-day visit to attend the forum.
The city government sent the MOUs to the central government about a month ago to comply with regulations. One is awaiting approval from several agencies, while details of the other are still under negotiation, Lin said.
Earlier yesterday, KMT Taipei City Councilor Chan Wei-yuan (詹為元) accused the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) and other agencies of inefficiency and deliberate obstruction, saying that such behavior would not help build mutual trust or ease cross-strait tensions.
Lin said that it was “not necessarily the MAC” that had yet to approve the documents, but added that the city government needs support from the central government.
“If central government agencies do not agree with any part, we would have to discuss the matter further with the Shanghai side,” she said.
Meanwhile, the MAC denied that it was hindering the forum.
MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said the agency has been providing assistance, and that a consensus was reached on Friday to green-light the trip this week.
He described the cancelation as “unexpected.”
“The National Immigration Agency had planned to issue the visas today, so I am surprised by the Taipei City Government’s decision, but I have little idea about its reason,” he said.
Liang said Taipei and Shanghai would continue to work on the forum, believing that a better-prepared event can improve cross-strait relations.
NETWORK-MAPPING PROJECT: The database contains 170 detailed files of Taiwanese politicians and about 23 million records of household registration data in Taiwan China has developed a network-mapping project targeting political figures and parties in Taiwan to monitor public opinion during elections and to craft tailored influence campaigns aimed at dividing Taiwanese society, according to documents leaked by Chinese technology firm GoLaxy (中科天璣). The documents, collected by Taipei-based Doublethink Lab, showed a database was specifically created to gather detailed information on Taiwanese political figures, including their political affiliations, job histories, birthplaces, residences, education, religion and a brief biography about them. Several notable Taiwanese politicians are in the database, including President William Lai (賴清德), former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍),
RECOGNITION: Former Fijian prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry said that Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy serves as a stabilizing force in the Indo-Pacific region Taiwan can lead the unification of the Chinese people, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former Polish president Lech Walesa said in Taipei yesterday, adding that as the world order is changing, peaceful discussion would find good solutions, and that the use of force and coercion would always fail. Walesa made the remarks during his keynote address at a luncheon of the Yushan Forum in Taipei, titled “Indo-Pacific Partnership Prospects: Taiwan’s Values, Technology and Resilience,” organized by the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Walesa said that he had been at the forefront of a big peaceful revolution and “if
UPGRADED MISSILE: The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology is reportedly to conduct a live-fire test of the Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missile on Thursday next week The US Army is planning to build new facilities to boost explosives production and strengthen its supply chain, a move aimed at addressing munitions shortages and supporting obligations to partners including Taiwan, Ukraine and Israel, Defense News reported. The army has issued a sources sought notice for a proposed Center of Excellence at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky, the report said. The facility would serve as a hub within the US industrial base for the production of key military explosives, including research department explosives (RDX) and high melting explosives (HMX), while also supporting research and development of next-generation materials. The proposed
SOUTH KOREA DISPUTE: If Seoul continues to ignore its request, Taiwan would change South Korea’s designation on its arrival cards, the foreign ministry said If South Korea does not reply appropriately to a request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, the government would take corresponding measures to change how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. Taipei has asked Seoul to change the wording. Since March 1, South Koreans who hold government-issued Alien Resident Certificates (ARC) have been identified as from “South Korea” rather than the “Republic of Korea,” the
RSS