Shanghai, Taipei to hold forum despite cross-Strait communication suspension

BEIJING - Shanghai and Taipei will hold their annual city forum from Aug 22-23 in Taipei, Shanghai municipal authorities announced Friday, despite current suspension of cross-Strait communication mechanisms.

Senior municipal official Sha Hailin, on behalf of Shanghai Mayor Yang Xiong, will lead a delegation to attend the forum, the Shanghai government announced via its official microblog account on Sina Weibo.

The forum has been held by the two cities in rotation since 2010. The 2016 forum will focus on exchanges in fields such as health care, smart cities, culture and transportation in a bid to "deepen exchanges and cooperation in various aspects" between the two cities, according to the Shanghai government.

The Taiwan side has failed to recognize the 1992 Consensus, which endorses the one-China principle, since new leader Tsai Ing-wen assumed office in May, leading to the suspension of communication and consultation mechanisms.

Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office on the mainland, said Friday that the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations can be maintained as long as the Taiwan side adheres to the political foundation of the 1992 Consensus.

"We hold an active and open attitude toward exchanges between cities of both sides," Ma said, stressing that the nature of cross-Strait relations and city exchanges should be interpreted correctly.