Taipei Mayor disputes MAC restrictions on Shanghai officials

Disputes have emerged regarding the upcoming Taipei-Shanghai Dual-City Forum following reports that the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) denied entry to certain Chinese officials. Specifically, the application for Li Xiaodong, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Taiwan Affairs Office, to visit Taiwan for forum preparations was reportedly rejected.

Taipei Mayor Jiang Wan-an criticized the restrictions, stating that cross-strait exchanges are increasingly necessary as relations become more difficult. He emphasized that the forum is a long-standing municipal exchange and called for the MAC to provide clearer explanations regarding the limitations placed on officials.

In response, MAC Deputy Minister Liang Wen-chieh downplayed the significance of the forum, stating it is merely a local-level exchange that cannot address core cross-strait issues or influence military activities. Liang noted that the government reviews applications from various Chinese provinces on a case-by-case basis and does not provide individual justifications for approvals or rejections. He suggested that the Taipei City Government should not overstate the importance of these municipal interactions.