Shanghai delegation to Taipei marks new wave of cross-strait cooperation
- Mainland-friendly cities following Taiwan’s ruling party defeat in local elections provide an opportunity for new ties
Shanghai’s executive vice-mayor and 130 delegates from the mainland city arrived in Taipei on Wednesday to kick off a new wave of exchanges across the Taiwan Strait, following the recent election defeat of the self-ruled island’s pro-independence party.
Zhou Bo is the highest ranking official to attend the annual Shanghai-Taipei Forum in recent years, which has been a more low key event due to political tensions between Taiwan and the mainland.
On his arrival at Taipei Songshan Airport, Zhou said he was looking forward to a fruitful result at the end of the forum on Thursday.
“The Shanghai-Taipei Forum is the most important institutionalised platform for business exchange and cooperation between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, and is a model for cross-strait city-to-city exchanges and cooperation,” he said.
Shanghai and Taipei rebuild city-to-city cross-strait ties after Taiwan’s local elections
Zhou’s visit was overshadowed by a small group of pro-independence activists, who shouted “oppose the 1992 consensus”, “reject entry of the Chinese communists”, and “Taiwan and China are two countries on each side of the Taiwan Strait”, outside the airport.