Taipei mayor leads delegation to Shanghai as Beijing ramps up pressure on Taiwan

Rising KMT star Wayne Chiang says annual forum is an opportunity to improve dialogue and stability

Trip comes as Beijing steps up military activity and warns Taipei not to partner with the US to counter the mainland

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Taipei Mayor Wayne Chiang is leading a delegation to Shanghai to attend this year’s Shanghai-Taipei Twin City Forum. Photo: CNA

Published: 5:42pm, 29 Aug 2023

Taipei Mayor Wayne Chiang Wan-an called for peace and dialogue between Taiwan and the Chinese mainland as he led a delegation to Shanghai on Tuesday for a three-day visit aimed at easing cross-strait hostilities.

The visit by the great grandson of the late Kuomintang (KMT) leader Chiang Kai-shek – one of the few city-level official exchanges between the two sides – came as Beijing stepped up its warnings to Taipei not to ally with the United States to counter the mainland.

“The cross-strait [situation] at this time is not calm and this is not what Taiwan’s people who desire to have peace, stability and prosperity want,” Chiang told journalists in Taipei before boarding a plane to Shanghai.

The rising star of the main opposition KMT party said recent trade disputes between the two sides have further increased cross-strait friction and animosity.

“This is why we urgently need a dialogue mechanism to settle [disputes],” Chiang said, adding that only when the two sides were able to maintain a steady channel of dialogue would they be able to stabilise their relations.