DPP Uses Procedural Tactics to Postpone Taipei-Shanghai Twin Cities Forum
By Hsu You-sheng and Tsai Pei-chia, China Times, September 23, 2025
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an had been scheduled to lead a delegation to Shanghai on September 25 for the annual Twin-Cities Forum, but the city government has now announced the event will be postponed. According to insiders, while the central government initially promised to provide assistance during the review process, it imposed stricter conditions than in previous years. Authorities demanded a detailed list of all individuals in contact with the Shanghai side and complicated the signing of memoranda of understanding (MOUs), expanding the number of ministries involved. Officials even deliberately left some communications unanswered, which sources described as “nitpicking” in order to obstruct normal cross-strait exchanges.
Since President Lai Ching-te took office and introduced 17 countermeasures against mainland Chinese infiltration, cross-strait relations have become increasingly tense. Insiders say that whether the forum is held in Taipei or Shanghai, the costs of communication and coordination have risen, and cross-strait exchanges often face setbacks.
This year, Taipei and Shanghai were expected to sign two MOUs, one on riverbank management and another on vocational education exchanges. In the past, such agreements were approved smoothly, as MOUs are declarations of intent and their implementation must still follow legal procedures. However, this time, the central government flagged the vocational education MOU, arguing it touched upon labor brokerage issues under the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area—specifically, the prohibition on brokering employment of Taiwanese in mainland China.
According to sources, communication with the Ministry of Labor had initially gone smoothly, but higher-level intervention allegedly forced revisions, creating further delays that require renegotiation with Shanghai. The Ministry of Labor, however, stated that city governments’ signing of MOUs at such forums does not fall under its jurisdiction, that it has received no related information, and that it offered no advice to the Taipei City Government.
Last year, Taipei Zoo and Shanghai Zoo signed an MOU to exchange animals—Taipei would provide black-footed penguins in return for Shanghai’s red pandas. Sources revealed that Shanghai has already arranged the red pandas for export and cleared them through quarantine, while Taipei has selected penguins and even given them names, which were to be announced at the forum. Yet quarantine, customs, and disease-prevention procedures remain stalled, leaving the exchange in limbo.
In addition, according to sources, Deputy Minister Liang Wen-chieh of the Mainland Affairs Council demanded that the Taipei City Government avoid discussing tourism issues at the forum. To prevent being accused of crossing political red lines, Municipal officials had to review every detail of the agenda. Critics pointed out the inconsistency: when President Lai was mayor of Tainan, he traveled to the mainland to meet then-Shanghai Mayor Yang Xiong to promote Tainan tourism, yet now as president, similar activities are being blocked.
In past forums, the Taipei City Government was not required to submit detailed lists of those meeting with mainland Chinese counterparts, but this year, the central government demanded written records of every contact. Faced with heightened scrutiny, Taipei decided to delay the forum, stating that in order to avoid accusations of “holding the forum just for show” or signing unenforceable agreements, it would proceed with “prudence and thoroughness.”
From: https://www.chinatimes.com/newspapers/20250923000414-260118?chdtv