Taipei mayor and Mainland Affairs Council spar over Shanghai-Taipei Twin City Forum access

The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) denied Shanghai Taiwan Affairs Office deputy director Li Xiaodong permission to attend the December Twin City Forum, marking the second year the official has been barred. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an defended the forum as a historic channel for city-level dialogue, insisting that cross-strait issues require more conversation, not fewer municipal meetings. TAO spokeswoman Zhu Fenglian criticized the DPP-led government for imposing “unreasonable restrictions” that run counter to islandwide sentiment.

MAC deputy minister Liang Wen-chieh countered that the forum holds no value for peace and that Taipei should not overstate its importance to Shanghai. He added that local exchanges, such as those between Nantou and Hangzhou or Miaoli and Hubei, have not influenced Beijing’s stance, and that the same regulations apply to all cross-strait activities. The dispute unfolded alongside remarks about Chiang’s wife Jane Shih using the term “Chinese Taipei” at an APEC summit, a phrasing the MAC said is standard for the event. The episode highlights ongoing friction over how Taiwan manages sub-national contacts with mainland China.