Taipei City Government

On August 17, Mayor Ko Wen-je arrived in Shanghai for the Taipei-Shanghai Forum.
He was greeted at the airport by Deputy Mayor of Shanghai Weng Tiehui and Deputy Secretary-General Zong Ming.
At a meeting with Shanghai Mayor Yang Xiong, Ko expressed his gratitude to his Shanghai counterpart for the host’s hospitality. He hopes that the event will contribute to a better understanding and strengthen mutual trust between the people of the two cities.
According to Ko, the forum will highlight private sector participation. In addition to the official agenda, topics spanning community medical services, smart city, youth entrepreneurship, as well as a neo city that honors both modernity and tradition will be featured. He believes that developing closer ties between the private sectors on the two sides of the strait will help create a win-win situation for all.
In a display of good will, the two leaders prepared gifts for exchange during the meeting. Yang presented Taipei’s mayor with a lacquer plate bearing the patterns of Yulan Magnolia and Azalea–city flowers of Shanghai and Taipei respectively—to symbolize everlasting friendship. Ko reciprocated with an award-winning painting by a Taiwanese junior high student conveying a message of peace and hope.