Shanghai mayor to visit Taiwan in early April

SHANGHAI, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng will lead a delegation to visit Taiwan from April 6 to 9 at the invitation of Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin, a Shanghai government spokesman announced Tuesday.

During the visit, Han will attend the "Shanghai-Taipei City Forum" and promote the upcoming World Expo, the spokesman said.

The delegation will have extensive contacts with Taiwan friends of various circles and visit schools, hospitals, and projects of environment protection and urban construction, the spokesman said.

The delegation will also carry out exchanges with Taipei and other cities and counties on services related to economy, culture, science and technology, environment protection, urban construction and administration, and services for people's livelihood, the spokesman said.

Han Zheng had personally revealed earlier this month, on the sidelines of the annual parliament session, that he would lead a delegation to visit Taiwan, although the exact date was not decided then.

The mayor said he would take his Taiwan visit as a chance not only to promote the World Expo, which is slated to open on May 1, but to further boost Shanghai's economic and cultural exchanges with Taiwan.

Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin led a delegation to visit Shanghai in June 2008, drawing attention from the media for the improvement of cross-Strait relations between Taiwan and the mainland.