Chinese officials arrive in Taipei for rare visit

16/12/2024 18:55

A delegation of Chinese officials led by a deputy Shanghai mayor arrived in Taipei on Monday for an annual city-to-city forum, a rare visit happening at a time of heightened Taiwan-China military and political tension.



China, which claims the democratically governed island as its territory, last week carried out large-scale military activities near Taiwan, and regularly sends fighter jets and warships into the skies and waters around the island.



Shanghai Vice Mayor Hua Yuan arrived at Taipei's downtown Songshan airport to attend Tuesday's Taipei-Shanghai City Forum, which was first held in 2010, and did not answer questions shouted at him by reporters.



A small group from the pro-independence Taiwan Republic Office shouted "Taiwan and China, separate countries" as he left the airport.