TAIPEI CITY COUNCIL WANTS TO SUSPEND FORUM WITH SHANGHAI|雙城論壇上海市長不來 藍綠議員籲停辦

Taipei will hold the Taipei-Shanghai Forum on August 23. As Shanghai City mayor, Yang Hsiung cannot attend, Sha Hai-lin, who is member of the Standing Committee, will represent Shanghai at the forum. However, members of the Taipei City Council called for a suspension of the forum because Sha is also the head of the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party of China's Shanghai Municipal Committee. This year's Taipei-Shanghai Forum will be held in Taipei on August 23. Sha Hai-lin, who is member of the Standing Committee, will represent Shanghai at the forum, because Shanghai City Mayor Yang Hsiung is unable to attend. As Sha is also head of the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party of China's Shanghai Municipal Committee, members of the Taipei City Council questioned the appropriateness of Sha representing Shanghai. However, Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je has no such worries. ==KO WEN-JE, Taipei City Mayor== If the Shanghai city government sends someone at the level of Sha's position, then we will have our vice mayor to attend the forum. I will still be the host of the banquet. However, the vice mayor will be the one to deal with things such as signing contracts at the forum. So far after President Tsai Ing-wen took office, no member of the Communist Party of China of a higher rank than Sha has come to Taiwan. Members of the Taipei City Council believe the forum is a political activity that aims to promote a united front for work, instead of an opportunity for real cross-strait exchanges. Therefore, they call for a suspension of the forum. ==CHUNG HSIAO-PING, KMT Councillor == He is not even one of the 8 Shanghai vice mayors. Moreover, he is a member of the United Front Work Department. What? Is he here to promote a united front work? We have only two options, and we are going to take the first one. We will ask Kuo to cancel the forum. ==HUNG CHIEN-I, DPP Councillor == In China's view, Kuo is the same as the 130 village chiefs in Taipei who went to visit Shanghai. Kuo, you are only a village chief in the eyes of Shanghai city government personnel. Kuo said cross-strait relations have come to a halt since President Tsai took office. Both sides should break the ice because the peaceful development of the cross-strait relations is more important. Kuo emphasized that he accept Shanghai City saying that sending Sha to attend the forum is a respect to Taipei, because Sha's position in the CPC is higher than a city mayor. TRANSLATED BY：ARIEL HSIEH 台北上海雙城論壇將在8月23日舉行，上海市長楊雄確定缺席，改由上海市 常委沙海林代表訪台，沙海林同時也是上海市委統戰部長，藍綠議員齊聲痛批交流不對等，呼籲停辦雙城論壇。 輪到今年在台北舉辦的台北上海雙城論壇，終於確定8月23日舉行，上海市長楊雄不能出席，那由誰代表呢？台北市政府公布名單，人選並非先前預估的8位副市長之一，而是由上海市常委沙海林代表出席。不過，在市政府所提供的沙海林簡歷是現任上海市常委，但中國上海官網一查，另一個頭銜卻是上海市委統戰部長，負責的是對台統戰工作。讓這樣的人帶隊來台交流，是否適當？台北市長柯文哲樂觀看待。 ==台北市長 柯文哲== 如果是照對等尊嚴 他如果是照這個層級來 我們到時候就副市長 跟他同一個層級去處理 晚宴我還是當主人 但是如果說雙城論壇 那個要簽約或幹什麼 我們就用副市長跟他處理 到目前為止520後 （中國)來台灣最高職級的 但藍綠議員認為，中國利用城市論壇大搞政治活動，統戰意味濃厚，台北市政府應該要要求對等，就像往年在台北舉辦的雙城論壇，上海應該要派出副市長層級的代表，而非一個統戰部長來代表出席，痛批這項交流根本不對等，呼籲停辦。 ==國民黨台北市議員 鍾小平== 派一個不曉得排序是 第8 第9 第10 我們都搞不清楚 而且是統戰部的 幹嘛 來搞統戰嗎 我只有兩條路走 我們等於敬告柯文哲市長 第一個 取消 ==民進黨台北市議員 洪健益== 他只是把你柯文哲當成 是跟台北市之前130幾個里長 去(上海)的身分一樣 你只是一個 上海眼中一個里的里長 面對議員們要求停辦論壇，柯文哲指出，520之後，兩岸來往幾乎凍結，總要有解凍的地方，兩岸一家親勝過兩岸一家仇，同時柯文哲則也強調，同意上海市政府說法，對方以黨領政的政治制度，黨職務比市政府高，派沙海林來，是對台北的尊重。 記者 郭采彥 張梓嘉 台北報導