MAYOR SEES TWIN CITY FORUM AS CROSS-STRAITS BREAKTHROUGH|雙城論壇不對等? 柯:兩岸交流總得突破

The Taipei-Shanghai Forum will kick off on August 23. Sha Hai-lin will lead the Shanghai delegation to Taipei. However, some raised the question that Sha's delegation implies an unequal status between Taiwan and China. Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je said that official cross-strait exchanges have come to a standstill in the past few months after the Tsai administration took over the government. This forum will be a breakthrough for both sides, and Taipei City will maintain an equal footing and uphold Taiwan's dignity. The Taipei-Shanghai Forum will be held in Taipei on August 23. Sha Hai-lin, who will be representing Shanghai city, has set off controversy due to his position as Shanghai's CPC Standing Committee member and Director of United Front Work Department. Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je said the term "united front" is understood differently in Taiwan and China. It's a cultural difference, but cross-strait relations have to begin with dialogue. ==KO WEN-JE, Taipei City Mayor== They may have their tactics, but we can try to play our cards right, too. There's no need to shut down all communications. If we are have a strong immune system, we won't have to be afraid of germs. The Presidential Office said in an open statement that cross-strait dialogue can promote mutual understanding and are considered positive. However, DPP legislators still said that exchange between cities should not be manipulated to benefit China's "united front work". This would not sit well with the Taiwanese. ==WU PING-JUI, DPP Caucus Whip== "United front" is a loaded political term used only in Communist countries, so it's not a cultural issue. Of course a democratic country would not be happy about the term since it has certain implications. Mayor Ko also stressed that Taipei City will interact with the Chinese delegation on an equal footing, and Taiwan's dignity will be upheld. TRANSLATED BY：CHRISTINA LIU 即將登場的，台北上海、雙城論壇。上海代表團，將會由中共、市委統戰部、部長、沙海林，率隊訪台。這被外界質疑，是不對等的。但台北市長、柯文哲，再度表示，最近幾個月，兩岸的官方、政治交流，都停擺了，總是要有「突破」的地方，會盡力維持，對等尊嚴原則。 23號即將登場的台北上海雙城論壇，上海派出上海市常委兼市委統戰部部長沙海林代表出席，引發爭議，昨天柯文哲曾說，統戰在台灣是汙名化的名詞，是雙方文化上的隔閡，面對追問，他今天再度表示，520後兩岸官方政治交流幾乎停擺，總要有一個突破的地方。 ==台北市長 柯文哲== 對方可以出牌 我們可以因應嘛 但是也不必用那個 不談判 不接觸 不妥協的方法 來處理兩岸的關係嘛 以醫生的角度來講 我們免疫力強 就不怕各種細菌 雖然總統府已經發出聲明表示，只要有助於雙方互相了解，兩岸之間多交流是好事，不過民進黨立委還是批評，兩岸城市交流、不應該預設前提，如果對岸喜歡在事務性層面上、大搞統戰小動作，台灣人民會感到不舒服。 ==民進黨立院黨團幹事長 吳秉叡== 統戰部這個 只有在共產國家才有 所以不是文化的問題啦 是民主國家對於這樣子的名稱 當然是不會滿意嘛 因為統戰 統戰 它本來就有它的定義啊 面對外界批評，柯文哲強調，台北市會想好劇本因應，一定維持對等跟尊嚴的原則。 記者 綜合報導