離開
進入《TAIPEI TIMES》China’s actions hurt both sides, Ko says
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je, left, and Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng wave on a split-screen of a videoconference of the Taipei-Shanghai Twin-City Forum yesterday. Photo: CNA
TWIN-CITY FORUM: Shanghai’s mayor said that despite the Taiwan-China situation and the pandemic, non-governmental exchanges showed people want exchanges
By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter
The frequent flights of Chinese warplanes over waters southwest of Taiwan and obstruction of Taiwan’s fruit and seafood exports are “hurting the feelings of people on both sides of the [Taiwan] Strait,” Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je （柯文哲） said at the Taipei-Shanghai Twin-City Forum yesterday, while Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng （龔正） said that cross-strait exchanges cannot be separated from a common political foundation.
The forum — which lasted less than two hours, the shortest since they began in 2010 — was hosted by the Taipei City Government via videoconferencing.
It marked the final such forum during the Ko administration, as his second mayoral term ends this year.
Ko restated his “five mutuals” principle from previous forums, did not repeat his remark that the “two sides of Taiwan Strait are one family” and emphasized that he believes more exchanges can generate goodwill.
“The two sides of the Strait have close economic and trade relations, with many non-governmental exchanges, but hostility toward each other has been escalating,” he said.
Cross-strait tensions have risen and confrontations deepened, including over Taiwan’s participation at the World Health Assembly, China’s military aircraft frequently flying over waters southwest of Taiwan and obstruction of Taiwan’s exports of pineapples, wax apples, mangoes and groupers to China, he said.
These have become the focus of disputes, “hurting the feelings of people on both sides,” Ko said.
Continuous disputes, ignoring each other and political manipulations will only worsen cross-strait relations, he said, adding that through communication and negotiations, both sides should seek mutual understanding and forgiveness, and solve the livelihood issues that Taiwanese are concerned about.
Ko said that he has not changed his stance on cross-strait ties in his eight years as Taipei mayor, which includes the “five mutuals” principle — “mutual awareness, mutual understanding, mutual respect, mutual cooperation and mutual consideration” — and that he believes more exchanges can accumulate more goodwill between the two sides.
Gong said that despite the complicated Taiwan-China situation and the COVID-19 pandemic in the past two years, through the collaborative efforts of the two sides, non-governmental exchanges were uninterrupted, which showed that people on both sides want cooperation and exchanges.
The issues Ko mentioned had previously been solved, proving that “cross-strait exchanges cannot be separated from a common political foundation,” he said.
He also stressed that the ties between the hearts of “compatriots on both sides” cannot be cut and he holds to the idea that the “two sides of the Strait are one family.”
As always, a better investment environment for Taiwanese companies and more convenient lives for Taiwanese in Shanghai are top of the agenda, Gong said.
The two mayors signed three memorandums of understanding （MOU） regarding a circular economy, the game of go and smart transportation.
The Mainland Affairs Council said that it and other agencies clearly explained that if MOUs were to be signed at the forum, they must comply with government regulations and should not echo or follow the Chinese Communist Party’s （CCP） “united front” propaganda.
Taipei city councilors across party lines reiterated their criticism that the city government arbitrarily used a budget for the forum after the Taipei City Council in January approved it with the proviso that “if CCP aircraft or warships continue to disturb Taiwan before the forum, the budget cannot be used.”
Taipei City Councilor Lin Ying-meng （林穎孟） said that Ko broke a promise he made on Friday to express that Taiwan wants to be treated with “equal dignity” and that the CCP should not pursue a military attack.
Ko failed to keep his promise for the second consecutive year, and he even attempted to gloss over China’s bullying of Taiwan, Lin said.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
