TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) met Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng (龔正) Sunday (Dec. 28) at the Twin City Forum, declaring face-to-face dialogue essential amid tense cross-strait relations. Chiang explained the forum, an annual exchange between Taiwan's capital and China's financial hub, demonstrates that "if the two cities are doing well, then surely the two sides of the Taiwan Strait will be too" (雙城好，兩岸一定好). The two-day forum, which began a day earlier, aims to strengthen cooperation between the cities despite ongoing political tensions between Taiwan and the People's Republic of China.
Gong thanked Taipei for its hospitality during last year's forum, calling Chiang "an old friend of Shanghai citizens." He emphasized shared cultural ties, stating "we are bound by blood as compatriots across the strait — peace, development, cooperation, and exchange are our shared aspirations." Gong said the forum will deepen cooperation and advance peaceful development across the Taiwan Strait, the 110-mile (180-kilometer) waterway separating Taiwan from mainland China.
Chiang called the forum's continuation "a powerful message" during heightened tensions, stating "in such tense cross-strait relations, the event's ongoing presence — and the ability to talk in person — is itself a force." The Taipei mayor urged both cities to collaborate toward a stable peace. Cross-strait tensions have escalated under President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), whom Beijing labels a separatist.
The mayors exchanged symbolic gifts during the forum, with Taipei presenting a commemorative tin plate and special gift box while Shanghai offered an art porcelain vase. The exchange represents the cities' diplomatic ties despite Beijing's claim over Taiwan and its refusal to engage with the island's central government. City-level exchanges have continued even as official government-to-government dialogue remains frozen since 2016.
