Editor's note: Xu Xiaoquan, a special commentator for CGTN, is a researcher from the Institute of Taiwan Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily those of CGTN.

For some time, Shen Pao-yang, who has been placed on a list of obstinate "Taiwan independence" separatists, has repeatedly politicized the Shanghai-Taipei City Forum as he campaigns to become mayor of Taipei, making contradictory remarks about cross-Strait exchanges.

In May this year, Shen publicly claimed that the Shanghai-Taipei City Forum delivered "very little benefit," arguing that "there is no need to hold events that bring no benefits." He also smeared the forum as a so-called "infiltration loophole" for the Chinese mainland, called for it to be discontinued, and urged Taipei to leave the framework for cross-Strait exchanges and work with Western cities to establish a so-called "Unlimited City Forum."

In June, he changed his tune, saying he did not rule out exchanges with the mainland and that, if elected mayor of Taipei, Beijing would be the city he most wanted to visit. He put forward the absurd notion of "capital-to-capital" exchanges.

In October, Shen once again adjusted his rhetoric, saying the framework of the Shanghai-Taipei City Forum could be retained but its "content must be completely changed" and that there must be "absolutely no political preconditions," remarks that contradict his earlier positions. Shen's shifting positions on cross-Strait exchanges raise questions about his political consistency. His pursuit of electoral gain at the expense of the interests of people in Taiwan is ultimately doomed to fail.

Using the election to promote separatist fallacies

Local elections for county and city chiefs in Taiwan do not involve changes to the political framework governing cross-Strait relations. Candidates should focus on issues of public concern, including municipal affairs, public services and people's livelihoods. Shen, however, has done the opposite, turning a municipal election into a platform for promoting "Taiwan independence" separatism and exploiting his candidacy to amplify the Democratic Progressive Party's familiar political slogan of "confronting the mainland to protect Taiwan."

Shen's "capital-to-capital" rhetoric deliberately distorts the nature of cross-Strait exchanges. It seeks to recast practical, livelihood-oriented exchanges between cities on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait as political interactions "between countries," implicitly advancing the separatist narrative that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are "not subordinate to each other." His subsequent claim that the forum's framework could be retained is merely an adjustment in election tactics. The aim is to win over swing voters with misleading and deceptive rhetoric; his underlying attempt to use electoral manipulation to divide the country remains unchanged. This reveals that he consistently places his personal electoral interests and political ambitions above the well-being of Taipei residents and peace across the Taiwan Strait. No rhetorical packaging can conceal the separatist nature of his agenda.

Political manipulation harms the vital interests of people in Taiwan

The Shanghai-Taipei City Forum is an institutionalized platform for exchanges between Shanghai and Taipei. Since its launch in 2010, it has facilitated the signing of 49 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) on cooperation in areas including urban governance, public health, elderly care, environmental protection, water conservancy, culture and sports, youth entrepreneurship, community-level governance and smart cities.

Over the past 16 years, the forum has continued to promote exchanges between Shanghai and Taipei, advancing the sharing of experience and resources, economic and trade ties, youth exchanges, and cultural and educational interaction. It has brought tangible benefits to Taipei's urban development, youth employment and people's livelihoods. The forum has long received broad recognition and support on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

However, Shen disregards the practical achievements accumulated by the forum over the years and the tangible benefits it has brought to Taipei residents. By deliberately smearing and wholly dismissing the forum, stigmatizing cross-Strait exchanges and exploiting them for electoral purposes, he seeks to manufacture confrontation and sever cross-Strait ties. At its core, this is an attempt to secure electoral gains at the expense of Taipei residents. It directly undermines the hard-won framework for cross-Strait exchanges and seriously damages development opportunities for young people in Taiwan, the well-being of people at the community level and the prospects for urban development. Such actions run entirely counter to the real demands and core interests of Taipei residents.

Separatist ambitions cannot reverse the historical trend toward national reunification

The continued operation of the Shanghai-Taipei City Forum rests on the fact that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China, and responds to the shared expectation among people on both sides for broader exchanges, interaction and integration. Taiwan's county and city elections should prioritize public administration, urban development and people's livelihoods, focusing on city-building and services for residents. They must never be turned into political tools for individual opportunists to promote "Taiwan independence" separatism and win votes for personal gain.

Shen has long exploited the political slogan of "confronting the mainland to protect Taiwan," politicized the Shanghai-Taipei City Forum and indirectly promoted separatist claims associated with the "two-state theory." By deliberately stoking confrontation and hostility across the Taiwan Strait, he continues to undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Yet no shift in rhetoric or attempt to repackage political opportunism can change the historical, legal and factual conclusion that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China. Nor can such efforts sever the long-standing economic, cultural and social ties between people on both sides, or halt the historical trend toward national reunification. Any provocation aimed at "Taiwan independence" and any electoral stunt that runs counter to this trend are destined to fail.

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