Taipei City Government

The 2018 Taipei-Shanghai Forum took place in Taipei City on December 20.
Deputy Mayor Teng Chia-ji greeted the guests from Shanghai on behalf of Mayor Ko Wen-je and citizens of Taipei during his opening address. He noted that this year marks the ninth forum and hopes that Shanghai’s Deputy Mayor Zhou Bo has already experienced the hospitality of locals during his stay. He also expressed his gratitude to Zhou for attending the event in person and brought a large delegation from Shanghai.

Regarding the forum itself, Teng pointed out that after the election, expanding the scope of exchange is a common understanding for people from across the political spectrum. In light of this, he hopes that the exchange between the two cities can be conducted in a positive fashion and stimulate comprehensive exchange, to realize a common and beautiful future for future generations.

During his concluding speech, Mayor Ko remarked that his attitude for handling cross-strait affairs is the same as his experience in dealing with people’s problems whether in the role of a doctor or that of a mayor – putting the well-being of the people as top priority. He believes that unnecessary conflicts can be diminished in favor of cooperation.

From his stint in the US and 18 visits to mainland China, Ko pointed out that his experience tells him that confrontation is never a good way to solve problems. Cooperation is good for people on both side of the strait, and win-win can be achieved through “mutual acquaintance, understanding, respect, cooperation, and conciliation.”

Noting the theme “Sustainable City, Sustainable Development” for this year’s forum, he remarked that the content covers public housing, urban renewal, health industry, cinematics and fashion, waste processing and reutilization, and more. One of the key points for discussions will be circular economy, which is something that both cities may find to be valuable during their respective paths in development. Taipei has achieved much in implementing the concept in terms of waste recycling and public housing constructions. Hopefully, through the forum, the two cities can learn from the best practices of the other and transform themselves into model benchmarks for circular economy implementation.