Taipei: The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday sought to downplay the significance of the annual Taipei-Shanghai Twin-City Forum after Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an raised concerns over reported restrictions on the visiting Shanghai delegation.
According to Focus Taiwan, MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh, during a regular news briefing in Taipei, suggested that the Twin-City Forum should not be overemphasized. Liang remarked that the forum has not contributed to promoting peace and urged the Taipei City government, led by Chiang of the opposition Kuomintang, not to view its exchanges with Shanghai as extraordinary.
The forum, which was initiated in 2010, aims to foster exchanges between the Taipei and Shanghai city governments, with the cities alternating as hosts for the annual event. Liang compared the forum to other local-level exchanges such as the Two Lakes Forum between Nantou County and Hangzhou.
Liang's comments followed a report by the Chinese-language United Daily News, which stated that the MAC had denied entry to Li Xiaodong, deputy director of Shanghai's Taiwan Affairs Office, who was supposed to head a delegation in preparation for the forum expected to be held in Taipei in December. Only division-level official Xu Hao was granted permission to lead the delegation, which arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday without Li.
In response to the report on Wednesday, Mayor Chiang described the forum as a longstanding exchange on municipal affairs and emphasized the necessity for communication and exchanges amid challenging cross-strait relations. He urged the MAC to clarify the reported restrictions.
When questioned on Thursday about the decision not to allow Li's visit, Liang neither confirmed the rejection of Li's application nor commented on individual cases. He explained that the government receives numerous applications from Chinese provincial and municipal officials, approving some while rejecting others without providing specific reasons.
Liang dismissed the notion that exchanges like the forum could deter Chinese military activities, referencing comments by China's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) made on Wednesday. He stated that China would conduct military drills and intimidate Taiwan regardless of such exchanges.
At a briefing on Wednesday, TAO spokesperson Zhu Fenglian highlighted the forum's 16-year history as a crucial platform for cross-strait exchanges and cooperation. Zhu also accused Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party government of hindering forum preparations and deemed any attempt to link the event to Chinese military drills as "meaningless."