Research, Development and Evaluation Commission

Change is one of the keys for cities to turn a new page. In order to learn from each other’s experiences to make changes for a better future, Taipei City Government and Shanghai City Government (hereinafter referred to as “TCG” and “SCG” respectively) have been taking turns to host Taipei-Shanghai City Forum (hereinafter referred to as “the Forum”) since 2010. The Forum has been a successful reference model for exchanges between cities of Taiwan and mainland China. The 5th Forum, hosted by TCG, was held on June 9, 2014 in Taipei and featured “Changing City,” “City of Design and Innovation,” “Green and Convenient City,” etc.

 “Taipei and Shanghai learn from each other to improve the quality of their administration,” Taipei’s Deputy Mayor Dr. Ting-yu Ting remarked at the Forum. The Forum serves as a perfect platform for the two cities to exchange valuable experiences. For instance, the performance of Shanghai’s 12345 Citizen Hotline has been greatly enhanced after SCG adopted the management and operations of TCG’s1999 Citizen Hotline. Taipei also learned from Shanghai. Shanghai’s philosophy in preserving historical monuments, especially the concept of “restoring the old look,” inspired TCG’s new thinking on the preservation of historical monuments.

Deputy Mayor Ting also emphasized that citizens are the most powerful engines for a city to keep making progress, so TCG always partners up with Taipei citizens in policy making and project execution. To demonstrate the importance of the partnership between TCG and its citizens, TCG produced a short film titled “Taipei, a Changing City – Opportunity, Convenience and Thoughtfulness” last year. More than 300 citizens were interviewed for the film and expressed what they felt about Taipei. Most of the interviewees think Taipei is a city with abundant opportunities and thoughtful government services. It is also a city great for people in pursuit of dreams.

Shanghai City Deputy Mayor Guanshao Tu pointed out at the Forum that TCG and SCG share one important belief – never stops thinking how to make it a better city to live and trying to put it into practice. The Taipei-Shanghai City Forum held every year is exactly for the purpose. The five years of exchanges through the Forum have substantially improved both governments and their city governance in many aspects. He also said Taipei’s experiences were brought up often in SCG’s internal meetings regarding city development.

At the 5th Taipei-Shanghai City Forum, the University of Taipei and Fudan University signed a memorandum of cooperation. In addition, TCG and SCG signed memorandums of understanding for cooperation on arts festival, district administration, etc. In addition to the Forum, Shanghai delegation attended the opening ceremony of 2014 Taipei-Shanghai High School Sports Festival and the kickoff of the Women’s Baseball Tournament. The delegation also visited Zhongshan residence and service center for the elderly, Zhongshan Parent-Child Center, Neihu Refurbished Furniture Exhibition Center, etc. It is expected the profound and intense exchanges would bring out more development potentials and create sustainable prosperity for both Taipei and Shanghai.