Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng (龔正) yesterday called on “compatriots” on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to work together toward the “great revival of the Chinese nation,” while Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) touched on democracy at the Taipei-Shanghai Twin-City Forum in Shanghai, giving the municipal-level exchange a distinctly political tone.
During the 15-year history of the annual forum, the two cities have cultivated exchanges in science, education and culture, Gong said in his opening remarks.
He praised Taipei’s vibrant technology sector and expressed hope that the two cities can increase cooperation amid an artificial intelligence (AI) boom to bring prosperity and security to “compatriots” on both sides of the Strait.
Photo: CNA
“Compatriots” on both sides of the Strait share a common bloodline and destiny, and as long as they work together, they can create a bright future for the “revival of the Chinese nation,” he said.
He invited Taiwanese to visit Shanghai to experience firsthand the kinship of the “cross-strait family.”
Chiang said in his speech that people are closely watching the development of the cross-strait relationship.
Even though support for cross-strait exchanges in Taiwan is mixed, the two cities persisted in holding the forum because interaction, dialogue and understanding are better than confrontation, antagonism and conflict, he said.
Chiang referenced the ideals of democracy and science that were called for during the May Fourth Movement in Beijing in “the eighth year [1919] of the Minguo [民國] calendar,” referencing the Republic of China’s calendar.
Today, science represents technology and AI, and democracy represents the idea that people are the nation’s foundation, he said.
These principles must be applied to each person, Chiang said, emphasizing that municipal government must be centered around its citizens.
Technology is improving people’s lives through citizen hotlines, which the forum helped Shanghai to develop, as well as Taipei’s policy to provide every student with fresh milk through a digital identification system, he said.
Focusing on the majority reflects the height of public policy, while caring for minorities shows its warmth, he said.
A people-oriented city is not one without crises, but one with resilience and adaptability, Chiang said, noting a deadly Dec. 19 knife attack in Taipei.
Chiang said he is working toward a future where the Taiwan Strait calls to mind peace and prosperity, adding that when Taipei and Shanghai are doing well, so are cross-strait relations.
In a meeting held prior to the forum, Gong said that “compatriots” on both sides of the Strait aspire for peace, development, cooperation and exchange.
The forum would promote mutually beneficial cooperation between the two cities, bringing people together, and contributing to the peaceful and integrated development of cross-strait relations, he said.
Holding the forum with both sides meeting face-to-face amid cross-strait tensions is a kind of strength, Chiang said.
It shows people on both sides and abroad that peace and stability are possible as long as people are willing to communicate, he said.
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