Schedule for Twin City Forum Under Review, No Specific Date Yet, Says Taipei City Gov't

(CNA, Taipei, May 19, by reporter Liu Jian-bang) With the Taipei City Government set to host this year's Twin City Forum, city councilors today questioned whether the date might fall around an election day. The city government's Mainland Affairs Task Force responded that there is currently no specific confirmed date, nor have they received any instructions from Mayor Chiang Wan-an. The Taipei City Council's Civil Affairs Committee held a special report meeting this morning, attended by units including the Taipei City Government Secretariat. Kuomintang (KMT) City Councilor Chin Hui-chu questioned the current planned schedule for the forum, which is being hosted by Taipei this year. Yang Ching-hui, Executive Secretary of the city's Mainland Affairs Task Force, replied that the forum has historically been coordinated between the Taipei City Mainland Affairs Task Force and the Shanghai Taiwan Affairs Office. He stated that this year's forum is still under communication and coordination, with no confirmed date, and that the council will be informed at an appropriate time. Chin pressed further, asking if the forum might be held before or after this year's election. Yang responded that the two sides have not yet reached a consensus on any specific, confirmed date and are still communicating about possible timings. When asked again if any instructions regarding the date had been received from Chiang Wan-an, Yang said he had received no such instructions from the mayor. Chin also inquired about the deputy mayors' overseas visits, asking why Deputy Mayor Lin Yi-hua has traveled less, and asked about Mayor Chiang's own overseas travel plans for the year. Deputy Secretary-General Yu Chen-hua responded that deputy mayors represent the mayor at international conferences based on the specific themes of the meetings, such as urban development. The relevant deputy mayor in charge of that area represents Chiang, and Lin has represented the mayor on trips in the past. Yu stated that because the Taipei City Government has won a special mention for the "Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize," Mayor Chiang plans to visit Singapore in June to accept the award. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor Chien Shu-pei questioned the city's approach to hosting international forums, noting that for this year and the year before last, funds were allocated from various city departments. She suggested that if the city is to host international forums in the future, it should do so annually with a dedicated budget and set goals, similar to the Twin City Forum, rather than only responding after external suggestions, such as for an "Infinity City Forum," are made. Yu replied that forums held by cities worldwide are linked to major events. The city government budgets for international forums to correspond with such major events, hoping to maximize the forum's effectiveness. He added that the implementation results of international forums held by the city in the past two years have been good, and it is not the case that the city only acts when questioned, criticized, or when suggestions are made by the public. (Editor: Long Po-an)