Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je says his city is preparing for the Taipei-Shanghai Twin City Forum as planned.
Ko was responding on Monday to speculation that the forum could hit a snag following the election of opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen as president in mid-January. It is generally believed that China is less friendly to the DPP, which has traditionally favored independence.
Ko went to Shanghai last August to attend the annual forum; this year it is Taipei’s turn to host the event. Ko said the city is moving forward with its plans.
“Currently, we in Taiwan are prepared. We have sent [an official] to talk with China," said Ko. "I think, in principle, Taipei City will organize [the event] as originally scheduled. Now we need to make sure of the date first and which hotel will be used as the venue.”
Ko has said that China’s attitude toward the forum is “beyond his control.”
On Sunday, a high-ranking Chinese official in Shanghai said the forum will not be affected by the election results. He said Shanghai will continue to make it easy for Taiwanese to do business there.