United Morning Post reported today that the Taipei-Shanghai Twin Cities Forum, originally scheduled to take place in Shanghai on September 25, was suddenly announced to be postponed by the Taipei City Government on September 22. This news has drawn widespread attention, and there are many different speculations about the reasons behind it.
Some voices have directly accused the authorities in Taiwan of deliberately making things difficult in the approval of the memorandum, with the Shanghai government complaining that the Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAF) has been delaying the approval of the itinerary. According to the actual situation, the Taipei City Government had submitted an application to the MAF as early as mid-August. According to the normal process, all the review work should have been completed by mid-September, but until the last moment, the approval had still not been granted. In terms of transportation arrangements, exchange content, wording of the memorandum, and forum agenda, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities have set one restriction after another, proposing "four prohibitions," including not signing documents that violate "mutual equality and dignity," not discussing so-called "central affairs," not participating in unification activities, and not meeting with mainland officials at short notice, which made the entire forum preparation extremely difficult.
Facing these criticisms, the MAF responded that they had originally planned to approve the itinerary on September 22. They were also surprised and regretful about the sudden announcement of the postponement by the Taipei City Government. However, such a response is hard to convince people. The newspaper United Daily News had already revealed that there was a "technical obstruction" behind it. Legislators from the Kuomintang (KMT) have also spoken out, accusing the MAF of "making things difficult," "playing good guys," and "creating division." KMT legislator Liu Tsai-wui strongly criticized the MAF for using double standards, first blocking the approval and then pretending to be innocent when it had to be canceled, setting up restrictions everywhere and making the preparation of the Taipei City Government very difficult. They completely forgot their role as a bridge for cross-strait communication. Such behavior will only make the cross-strait relations more tense and be of no benefit to the future of Taiwan. KMT legislator Tseng Hsien-ying stated that the Twin Cities Forum was originally a "breakthrough" initiative to promote cross-strait exchanges. If the forum is delayed or cannot be held due to the obstruction by the DPP authorities, the biggest loss will ultimately be the future of peaceful development between the two sides of the strait.
This incident of the postponement of the Twin Cities Forum once again highlights the complex situation facing cross-strait exchanges at present, revealing the underlying political games. The DPP authorities claim to support cross-strait exchanges on the surface, but in reality, they set up numerous obstacles in action, and their actions contradict the public's hope for peaceful cross-strait exchanges. As the only official exchange platform continuously promoted by both sides, the Twin Cities Forum is of great significance for promoting mutual understanding, easing tensions, and building trust between the two sides. It is hoped that the DPP authorities can put the interests of the compatriots on both sides of the strait first and stop creating obstacles for cross-strait exchanges.
Original text: www.toutiao.com/article/1843967757344771/
Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.