Cabinet spokesperson Tung Chen-yuan says he hopes there are no political obstacles to cross-strait exchanges as Taipei hosts the 2016 Taipei-Shanghai Twin City Forum.
Tung was responding to remarks by the head of the Shanghai delegation Sha Hailin, who is a top political propaganda official.
During the forum’s opening ceremony, Sha said that the Tsai administration’s refusal to acknowledge to 1992 Consensus has upset Beijing. Sha’s remarks were seen as Beijing putting pressure on the Tsai Ing-wen administration to recognize the consensus. The 1992 Consensus was a tacit agreement between Taiwan and China under which both recognized that they belong to one China. But President Tsai Ing-wen has not officially recognized the consensus.
In response to Sha’s remarks, Tung said that cross-strait exchanges are helpful for both sides, and that both Taipei and Shanghai have need for such interaction. He said he hopes that there will be no political obstacles to these exchanges.