TAIPEI (TVBS News) — A poll released Tuesday (Dec. 2) shows 64.1% of Taipei residents support city exchanges with Shanghai amid rising cross-strait tensions between Taiwan and China. Taipei's Research, Development and Evaluation Commission (台北市研考會), the city's policy research agency, found 71.3% of residents believe increased communication is essential.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) stated Tuesday he plans to visit Shanghai in late December for the 2025 Shanghai-Taipei City Forum (雙城論壇). He emphasized the necessity of dialogue, noting the forum remains one of the few remaining channels of communication between the two sides. Chiang reiterated the importance of communication amid complex cross-strait relations between Taiwan and China.
Opposition council members criticized the timing of the poll, suggesting it serves to endorse Chiang's participation in the forum. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP, 民進黨), Taiwan's ruling party, Councilor Yen Juo-fang (顏若芳) argued that the poll acts as a placebo for Chiang. She noted it reflects public hope he will urge Shanghai to renounce military action against Taiwan.
Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨), Taiwan's main opposition party, Councilor Chin Hui-chu (秦慧珠) remarked that the support for the forum was unsurprising given Taipei's appreciation for exchanges with Shanghai. She noted Taipei residents might value these interactions more than those in other counties. Chin highlighted the accumulated benefits of the relationship between the two cities.
