TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — DPP Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen (沈伯洋) on Friday defended his proposal to cancel the Taipei-Shanghai Twin City Forum if elected Taipei mayor, arguing the event lacks practical benefits and could serve as a channel for Chinese influence operations.
The Twin City Forum, launched under former Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), is considered the highest-level official exchange mechanism between Taiwan and China, per Global Views Monthly. The forum has produced 49 memorandums of understanding over the past 16 years, though exchanges have faced difficulties during periods of heightened cross-strait tensions, per Global Views Monthly.
During a Thursday interview, Shen questioned the forum’s cost-effectiveness, describing it as little more than an opportunity for officials to exchange business cards, per Newtalk. He argued the event has minimal impact on residents’ daily lives and said Taipei’s resources would be better spent on projects with more tangible benefits or on expanding ties with cities such as Tokyo and New York.
Shen had previously argued in December 2025 that the forum could pose national security risks to Taiwan, per Liberty Times. He claimed Beijing uses subnational diplomacy, such as city-to-city exchanges, to bypass restrictions typically imposed on interactions involving central government officials.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) defended the forum, citing previous polls showing that 70% of Taipei residents support cross-strait dialogue and more than 60% support continuing the Twin City Forum, per UDN. Chiang questioned whether shutting down what he described as the only official cross-strait communication channel would benefit Taipei.
The Taipei City Government also responded by highlighting cooperation achieved through the forum in areas including sustainability, sports, and endangered species conservation, per Liberty Times. Officials additionally suggested Shen should ask the DPP-led central government why agreements reached during previous forums, including China’s 2024 pledge to ease restrictions on Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan, had not been implemented.
Taipei City Research, Development and Evaluation Commission Chair Yin Wei (殷瑋) challenged Shen to identify any Twin City Forum participant involved in facilitating Chinese infiltration, per UP Media. Yin noted that while the forum itself had not produced espionage cases, individuals working at various levels of government in Taiwan had previously been identified as Chinese spies.
Shen reiterated Friday that Taipei should not limit itself to maintaining exchanges only with Shanghai, per FTNN. Responding to claims that the central government was responsible for stalled tourism negotiations, he argued local governments should be accountable for the results of their own diplomatic initiatives.
Shen added that if local governments require central government intervention to make their diplomatic efforts effective, then questions should be raised about the purpose of having local governments at all, per TVBS.
Taipei Deputy Spokesperson Yeh Hsiang-yuan (葉向媛) responded that the central government had instructed that negotiations over easing restrictions on Chinese tourists should proceed through Taiwan and China’s existing semi-official communication channels, per UDN. She said Taipei had already done everything within its authority on the issue and that responsibility now rested with the central government.
Taiwan Statebuilding Party member and Taipei City Council hopeful Wu Hsin-tai (吳欣岱) voiced support for Shen’s proposal, per Newtalk. Wu argued that the Shanghai municipal government ultimately answers to Chinese leader Xi Jinping and has no ability to restrain Beijing’s military exercises targeting Taiwan.
Wu also accused Chiang of allowing the forum to become a platform for Chinese propaganda. Citing the Mainland Affairs Council, she said any benefits secured through the forum could be revoked at any time as part of China’s broader united front strategy.
