The Taipei-Shanghai Forum could be expanded to become a cross-strait city forum, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said yesterday, following a meeting with Taipei Chamber of Commerce director-general Wang Ying-chieh (王應傑).
“Wang recommended the political forum between Taipei and Shanghai be expanded into a cross-strait political forum,” Ko said. “Shanghai could invite other cities, while other northern Taiwanese cities beside Taipei could participate.”
He added he that he had agreed to Wang’s proposal, as China and Taiwan are “brothers” whose relations should continue to develop on a foundation of goodwill.
Separately, Wang said Ko had agreed that the annual forum should “expand,” including the possibility of being hosted by other Chinese cities, such as Tianjin and Shenzhen.
The forum was established in 2010 to provide a platform for discussing city governance issues. An official within the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission said that the date and content of this year’s forum have yet to be finalized, pending discussions with Shanghai.
Despite his strong support for Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei mayoral candidate Sean Lien (連勝文) during last year’s Taipei mayoral election, Wang said he was optimistic about the prospects for cooperation with the Taipei City Government, adding that Taiwanese businesses were already accustomed to adjusting to the policies of different city administrations.
He said Ko’s conflict with private firms over the terms of several outsourced city development projects did not constitute a “war on business,” because the controversy over the projects dated back to the previous Taipei mayoral administrations of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌).
When asked if he had any advice for the mayor, Wang said Ko should listen more to the views of Taipei City Hall division and section chiefs to gain a better understanding of the background of city policies.
“Farglory [Land Development Co] has many grievances,” he said of the corporation with whom the city is renegotiating contract terms, adding that the firm had taken a huge risk by investing all of its capital into the Taipei Dome project.
“The people of Taipei did not elect me to compromise with city hall officials, they elected me to change them,” Ko said in an interview with Chinese-language magazine Business Weekly.
He said his governing style was that of an “elephant administration” (大象治國) — emphasizing forcefully dealing with problems as they arise.
PROCEDURE: Although there is already a cross-strait agreement in place for the extradition of criminals, ample notice is meant to be given to the other side first Ten Taiwanese who were involved in fraud-related crimes in China were extradited back to Taiwan via Kinmen County on Wednesday, four of whom are convicted fraudsters in Taiwan. The 10 people arrived via a ferry operating between Xiamen and Kinmen, also known as the “small three links.” The Kinmen County Prosecutors’ Office yesterday said that four of the 10 extradited people were convicted in Taiwan for committing fraud and contravening the Money Laundering Control Act (洗錢防制法), and were on the wanted list. They were immediately arrested upon arrival and sent to Kinmen Prison to serve their sentences following brief questioning, the office said.
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