Shanghai-Taipei City Forum kicks off

The 11th Shanghai-Taipei City Forum opened in the form of a video conference on Wednesday.

This year's forum, which is themed around epidemic prevention and economic cooperation between the two cities, has four sub forums focusing on medical care, industry and economies, regional governance and cooperation, as well as smart transportation.

Ko Wen-je, mayor of Taipei, said he has always maintained a firm stance on cross-Straits relations - people on both sides of the Straits are one family and should have mutual understanding and have respect for one another.

"History and culture link both sides, and economic exchanges have been frequent," he said. "Communication is better than a blockade, cooperation is better than confrontation, and being a family is better than being enemies."

The forum has been held six times during Ko's term as Taipei Mayor. Ko said he sees no reason to discontinue this event.

Shanghai and Taipei are the most advanced cities on either sides of the Straits and the forum aims to share their practical experiences in solving problems related to livelihoods, Ko said.

The two cities have taken turns to organize the Shanghai-Taipei forum since 2010. Thirty-six agreements on city-level communication and exchanges have been signed between the two cities since the forum's inception.