TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an is set to attend the 2023 Taipei-Shanghai Twin-City Forum in Shanghai from August 29 to 31, marking the first visit to mainland China by a public official from the fourth generation of the Chiang family since the Chinese Civil War.
Sources familiar with the matter said high anticipation from China is being met with unwavering caution. Despite having never been president, Chiang's visit is expected to receive the same level of attention and respect as that of former President Ma Ying-jeou.
Ma's China visit in March this year marked a breakthrough for the Kuomintang (KMT), resuming dialogue with Chinese officials after a near halt in communications since 2016.
Chiang's Shanghai visit, according to sources, could signal the potential future of opening up a new stage of cross-strait interactions since the 1992 Consensus proposed by the KMT received a "diminishing effect on dialogue" in Taiwanese society these days.
This year's forum is themed "New Trends, New Development," and the Taipei City Government's Department of Information Technology and the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization will each deliver a keynote speech about smart cities and open source technology.
The two cities also plan to sign Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) in carbon reduction, sustainability, the exhibition sector, and badminton, represented by their respective business managing offices.