Taipei: Taipei Deputy Mayor Lin Yi-hua, who led a delegation to Shanghai on Saturday for a bilateral city-level summit, said ahead of her departure that the two sides would exchange experiences in urban governance.

According to Focus Taiwan, Lin expressed her hopes at Taoyuan International Airport that the 16th edition of the Taipei-Shanghai City Summit would continue to foster mutual learning between the two cities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an is scheduled to attend the summit only on its second and final day, Sunday. He remained in Taipei on Saturday to ensure appropriate security measures were in place for large-scale New Year's Eve events, following a mass stabbing in the city on Dec. 19 that resulted in four fatalities, including the attacker.

Lin announced that the summit would see the signing of two memoranda of understanding related to water management and skills training exchanges. Additionally, forums on health technology, senior citizen health, and the concert economy are set to provide opportunities for idea exchange. The delegation comprises 120 individuals, including the Taipei City Council speaker, 10 other councilors, city government officials, scholars, and experts.

The Taipei City government stated that the delegation's itinerary in Shanghai includes visits to the Mercedes-Benz Arena, a simulation laboratory at Zhongshan Hospital, and the Gate M West Bund Dream Center, a prominent cultural and lifestyle hub. The Shanghai hosts will also organize a dinner reception on the summit's first day. The delegation is set to return to Taiwan on Sunday evening after engaging with representatives from various Taiwanese businesses in Shanghai.

The Taipei-Shanghai City Summit remains the sole platform for direct exchanges between officials on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Last year's summit occurred in Taipei, also in December.