TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) will lead a high-level delegation to Shanghai for the annual Taipei-Shanghai City Forum from Sept. 25 to 27. The forum's centerpiece will unfold on Sept. 26, concentrating on artificial intelligence applications in municipal governance and urban development. The Taipei City Government submitted its formal application to the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC, 陸委會), Taiwan's top China policy body, Wednesday (Sept. 10), expecting the standard two-week governmental review process.
Shanghai authorities will serve as hosts for this year's cross-strait municipal forum, during which both cities plan to formalize two memoranda of understanding covering bilateral cooperation initiatives. Taipei City Council Speaker Tai Hsi-chin (戴錫欽) will conclude an international diplomatic mission and return Wednesday (Sept. 25), perfectly timing his arrival with the delegation's departure for mainland China. The Taipei City Council's Civil Affairs Committee (民政委員) carefully selected four council members to accompany the mayor: Wu Shih-cheng (吳世正), Tseng Hsien-ying (曾獻瑩), Liu Tsai-wei (柳采葳), and Chang Chih-hao (張志豪).
Mayor Chiang outlined the fundamental principles governing the upcoming cross-strait municipal exchange, emphasizing Taipei's commitment to conducting dialogue with Shanghai based on equality, dignity, goodwill, and reciprocity. The mayor stressed his administration's adherence to legal protocols by accepting mandatory central government review processes as required by Taiwan's mainland policy framework. These diplomatic principles reflect Taipei's careful balance between fostering practical municipal cooperation and respecting national sovereignty considerations in cross-strait relations. ◼
