Taiwan’s government has approved a request by the Taipei City Government to invite a delegation of officials from Shanghai to attend the Taiwan Lantern Festival and learn about municipal policies, in what would be the first visit by Chinese officials to Taiwan since borders reopened last October.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Wednesday that it established a special protocol for the visit scheduled for Feb. 18-Feb. 20, which conforms to Taiwan’s laws and will be conducted in a “subtle, simple and safe” manner, adding that the delegation will follow COVID-19 prevention rules set out by the Central Epidemic Command Center.
A lantern art installation funded by the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government is among lantern creations on display at the Taiwan Lantern Festival in Taipei, and it is usual practice by the Taipei City Government to invite participants of the festival to pay a visit to Taipei, according to a statement by the Taipei City Government.
The delegation will comprise six members, according to the statement, while a source with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be named said the group will be led by Li Xiaodong (???), deputy director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of Shanghai Municipal People’s Government.
Any exchanges between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait should be carried out in a way that is rational, free of political motivations, and shows mutual respect, the MAC said, expressing hope that the visit would help to normalize “healthy” exchanges between the two sides, increase goodwill and further mutual understanding.
The Shanghai-sponsored lantern sparked a political spat after Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (???) said in a statement that some residents filed a complaint with her office over the lantern which is displayed conspicuously near the MRT Zhongxiao Fuxing Station.
According to Lin, the lantern was a “united front” tactic by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Lin’s remarks prompted a response from Kuomintang (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Lee Yen-hsiu (???), who said in her own statement that such rhetoric highlights the DPP’s “phobia for anything involving China.”
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel