Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) departed from Taipei Songshan Airport for Shanghai to attend the Taipei-Shanghai Twin Cities Forum on Tuesday morning.
Chiang acknowledged that any major political decision is bound to be met with different opinions and that he is very grateful for Taiwan’s open and democratic society. He said it is his responsibility as mayor of Taipei, to seize any opportunity to strive for the prosperity and development of both Taipei and Taiwan.
Before his departure, Chiang wrote on his social media that maintaining dialogue between Taipei and Shanghai conveys the values of peace and the urgency for dialogue on cross-strait relations.
Chiang said that through previously signed cooperation agreements, the two sides of the strait can stabilize economic interactions, but recent trade tensions require more pressing and sincere dialogue to resolve.
The theme of this year's forum is "New Trends, New Developments." In addition to participating in the forum, Chiang will also inspect Shanghai's night-time economy, visit environmental protection facilities, interact with Taiwanese businesspeople, and meet with municipal government representatives.