Taipei City Mayor Discusses National Security, Future of Taiwan at IOP Forum

Taipei City Mayor Wan-An Chiang said the Chinese government poses the greatest danger for Taiwan but pledged to try to “maintain peace and stability” at a Harvard Institute of Politics Forum on Monday.

Anthony J. Saich — an International Affairs professor at the Harvard Kennedy School — moderated the event, which was co-sponsored by Harvard’s Bloomberg Center for Cities and the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies.

Taiwan, a self-governed island that broke away from China during the Chinese Civil War in 1949, is one of the most fraught subjects in U.S.-China relations. Under the One China Policy, the U.S. maintains official ties with Beijing and recognizes it as the only Chinese government.

Though China has repeatedly sought unification of Taiwan with the Chinese mainland and does not recognize it as an independent nation, President Joe Biden has said the U.S. is prepared to defend Taiwan militarily.

“No one wants to see conflicts or even war, so we will do our best as the capital of Taiwan to maintain peace and stability and prosperity,” Chiang said.

During the forum, Chiang noted how the annual Taipei-Shanghai Twin City forum has become the only official channel for communication between Taiwan and the mainland.

Still, he did not comment on the delay of the 15th annual forum, which was scheduled to occur this summer in late July or August in Taipei but has not yet taken place.

In the 2024 Taiwan presidential election in January, Beijing leveraged military intimidation and economic incentives to influence Taiwanese voters to support candidates in favor of the unification of Taiwan with China.

Chiang acknowledged the attacks from the mainland on elections, saying “cybersecurity is very important to Taipei city government.”

Chiang also spoke about technological innovation and sustainability, topics that also came up in a meeting with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ’07 prior to the forum.

At the forum, Chiang said hopes for Taiwan to be a “promoter of sustainability and innovation,” adding that he is “fully committed to making Taiwan an AI-driven smart city.”

Taipei is the first city in Taiwan to have a dedicated AI policy to advise civil servants on the technology’s risks, Chiang said. Chiang also introduced AI initiatives that integrate generative AI with the city government’s database.

“AI is in Taipei: T-A-I-P-E-I,” he joked.

Chiang added that he hopes to nurture Taipei’s relationship with Boston, one of its sister cities. He said he exchanged ideas with Wu on green city planning, such as Taipei’s drainage system redesign projects, and on climate technology funded by Boston-based venture capital firms.

“We would like to have further collaboration with Boston because we have a vibrant startup ecosystem in Taipei,” he said.

Beyond Boston, Chiang also discussed Taipei’s relationship with Harvard.

Since he became mayor, Chiang says Taipei has become more connected with Harvard. Chiang referenced both a Harvard-run model United Nations conference held in Taipei and the work of two Harvard College Students who served as interns for the Taipei City Government.

“The strong cultural ties between Taipei and the U.S. are evident everywhere,” he said.

—Staff writer Meghna Mitra can be reached at meghna.mitra@thecrimson.com.