KO RETURNS FROM SUMMER UNIVERSIADE TORCH LIGHTING CEREMONY|赴義大利燃世大運聖火 柯文哲回台

Taipei City Mayor Ko wen-je visited Italy to attend the torch lighting ceremony for the 2017 Taipei Summer Universiade. On Jun.23, Ko arrived back in Taiwan and said he was satisfied with the ceremony, giving it a high mark. He talked about his canceled meeting with Turin's mayor, and his next visit to Shanghai for the Taipei-Shanghai Forum, Ko said the he will do his best to overcome all diplomatic challenges. Holding the Universiade torch, Taipei City Mayor Ko wen-je ran along the streets in Turin. After six years of preparation, Taipei is finally going to welcome the world with open arms for the Summer Universiade this August. The torch relay will first head to Naples, host of the 2019 Summer Universiade, then to Thailand and South Korea. It is estimated that the flame will arrive in Taiwan on Jun. 29. On Jun. 23, Ko arrived back in Taiwan. He said he was satisfied with the torch lighting ceremony, and gave it 95 percent. However, as to Taiwan's diplomatic relations, Ko said he was fully aware of the challenges that Taiwan faces. ==KO WEN-JE Taipei City Mayor== From my last visit to Malaysia and this visit to Italy, I met difficulties. What I think is that, when you face challenges, you have two options. You can either choose to recoil and do nothing, or gnash your teeth and go straight ahead to overcome the challenges. Of course, I chose the latter. Ko originally planned to meet with the mayor of Turin; however, he was notified at the last minute that the deputy mayor would receive him instead. In response to the incident, Ko said he does not want to think too much and assume that he was being belittled. Besides attending the Universiade's opening ceremony, Ko will visit Shanghai to attend the Taipei-Shanghai Forum on July 1. It is rumored that Ko's visit to China is for the 2018 mayoral election campaign. ==KO WEN-JE Taipei City Mayor== It will definitely be a negative for those who try to deal with the sensitive cross-strait issue in Taiwan. Why? That is because the confrontation between KMT supporters and DPP supporters is too fierce in Taiwan. You are unable to please everyone. You can't make everyone accept this. However, frankly speaking, I don't think it is a good thing for both sides if the current deadlock remains unresolved. Ko said that he seeks to express benevolence to China in non-official exchanges and find opportunities to break the deadlock. If everyone tries to avoid the issue, then there will be no solution to it. As current cross-strait tension is heightened, it is still questionable whether the forum will remain a simple exchange between cities. TRANSLATED BY ARIEL HSIEH 台北市長柯文哲，前往義大利參加2017台北世大運引燃母火儀式，今天返回台灣，他對這次的儀式很滿意，給了95分，不過對於義大利的杜林市長臨時取消會面，以及接下來的上海台北雙城論壇，柯文哲則說，雖然外面有很多環境的打壓，但是還是要咬緊牙關，儘量走出去。 台北市長柯文哲接下世大運的火炬，跑在義大利杜林的街道上，雖然只有短短的50公尺，但台北市已經跑了6年，終於在今年8月要迎來世大運，接下來聖火傳遞到下一屆世大運主辦地義大利拿坡里，接著再到韓國和泰國，預計6月29日抵達台灣，柯文哲則在上午返抵國門，對這次點燃母火儀式很滿意，給了95分，但是也對台灣在外交上的處境，很有感。 ==台北市長 柯文哲== 不管從上一次的南向之旅 到這一次的義大利杜林 不過是這樣啦 遇到挑戰有兩個選擇 一個是畏縮 一直萎縮 一個是咬緊牙盡量往外衝 當然我個人是選擇 接受挑戰去應付 原本要拜會杜林市長，卻在最後一刻被告知，改由副市長代為接見，是否被矮化，柯文哲不願多做聯想，但接下來，他將於7月1日前往上海，參加雙城論壇，有傳言指出，這是為了選舉? ==台北市長 柯文哲== 在台灣去碰兩岸一定扣分 為什麼 因為台灣 藍綠對抗太厲害了 你不可能讓所有人滿意 甚至你要讓所有人都可以忍受 都不是很容易 只是說這也是一個很坦白的話 目前局勢搞成這樣子 如果再僵下去 我覺得不是辦法 柯文哲強調，如果不要涉及政治高層，在民間交流，表達我方的善意，再找機會克服僵局，如果大家都怕事躲起來，僵局會無解，但在兩岸關係持續冷凍與緊張的情況下，這次的雙城論壇，能否維持單純的城市間交流，挑戰著敏感的兩岸政治神經。 記者 綜合報導