The Mainland Affairs Council deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh speaks at a press conference in Taipei on Wednesday. CNA photo Dec. 11, 2024
Taipei, Dec. 11 (CNA) The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Wednesday gave the greenlight to a Shanghai delegation attending the 15th Taipei-Shanghai Twin-City Forum scheduled to take place in the capital city next week, amid increasing Chinese military activities around Taiwan.
To foster a "harmonious atmosphere" in cross-strait relations, Taiwan's government is willing to extend the "utmost goodwill" and agree to the Shanghai delegation attending the forum on Dec. 17, said Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑), deputy head and spokesperson of the MAC, at a news conference.
"If the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) exertion of pressure on Taiwan leads to a "deterioration in the situation" in this period, the Taipei City government will comply with the central government's decision to postpone the event at any time," he said, adding that such a possibility has been discussed and agreed by the central and local governments.
Asked about the definition of "a deterioration in the situation," Liang did not directly respond to the question, saying only that a deterioration can take "many forms" and that the MAC would consider various factors in coming to such a decision.
China's recent military activities in the waters and airspace surrounding Taiwan have already created tensions and posed a threat, but regardless of the circumstances, Taipei City government "still believes that holding the Twin-City Forum is necessary," Liang said.
He added that the MAC believes Taipei City government will fulfill its responsibility as the inviting party, focusing on organizing exchange activities related to city governance while "avoiding being used by the other side for political propaganda."
The Twin-City Forum has been held annually since its inception in 2010, with the two cities taking turns hosting. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安), who took office in late 2022, led a delegation of over 100 to Shanghai in 2023 in his first attendance as mayor.
This year, a 102-member Shanghai delegation, led by Hua Yuan (華源), one of the city's eight deputy mayors, will visit Taipei.
Representatives of the two cities are expected to sign memorandums of understanding on smart medical care and zoo animal exchanges.
However, Taipei City's decision to host the Shanghai delegation has drawn criticism following the recent increase in Chinese military activities. These included the People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Monday sending warships into waters around Taiwan and designating seven areas east off the coast of Zhejiang and Fujian provinces as "temporary reserved areas" of airspace until Wednesday.
During the 24 hours beginning 6 a.m. Tuesday, a total of 53 PLA aircraft were detected operating around Taiwan, including 23 that crossed the Taiwan Strait median line, according to Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense.
At an event earlier Wednesday, Chiang said that the forum is one of the few remaining "valuable" platforms for communication and exchange between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.
While expressing hope for the forum's continuation, he said "we should have confidence in Taiwan's democratic resilience."