TAIPEI'S Mayor has arrived in Moscow in a bid to expand his city's relations.
Chen Shui-bian, a leading member of the pro-independence opposition Democratic Progressive Party, was invited to receive an honorary degree from the Russian Academy of Economics.
Taipei city officials confirmed Mr Chen would also explore the prospects of setting up 'sister city' ties in a meeting with Moscow's Mayor. Mr Chen also plans to visit other major Russian cities.
He set up sister city ties with Warsaw last September. But a similar effort to open such ties with Sofia, Bulgaria, has not yet borne fruit, due largely to pressure from Beijing.
Before flying to Moscow, Mr Chen visited Seoul at the invitation of the Mayor of the Korean capital, which has sister city ties with both Taipei and Beijing.
In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Shen Guofang last night said Russia had not informed China of Mr Chen's visit. Beijing would not accept any form of diplomatic contacts with Taiwan, he said.
