Cross-Straits business ties set for boost

Senior official urges entrepreneurs to join hands to drive modernization

A senior official of the Communist Party of China has called on entrepreneurs from both sides of the Taiwan Straits to work together for advancing the Chinese path to modernization and national reunification.

Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, made the call for cooperation in a congratulatory letter sent to the annual conference of the summit for entrepreneurs across the Taiwan Straits held in Xiamen, Fujian province, on Tuesday.

Themed around building a new mode of industrial cooperation and a green digital economy, the conference gathered more than 300 cross-Straits entrepreneurs and heads of industrial and business groups to pool ideas for exchanges and cooperation. About 1,500 people attended the event online.

Recognizing the summit's role in promoting cross-Straits industrial alignment and in launching projects, Wang said the event has become an important platform for compatriots on both sides to work together to strengthen the nation's economy.

Wang said the Chinese mainland will fully implement the Party's overall strategy for resolving the Taiwan question in the new era, adhere to the 1992 Consensus embodied in the one-China principle, and firmly oppose foreign interference and "Taiwan independence".

Efforts will be made to deepen integrated development across the Straits in various fields, improve systems and policies that guarantee the well-being of Taiwan compatriots, and unite with them to jointly advance the process of national reunification and rejuvenation, he said.

Wang urged entrepreneurs from the mainland and Taiwan to join hands in maintaining cross-Straits peace and stability and promoting the peaceful and integrated development of cross-Straits relations.

Pan Xianzhang, deputy director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said that in the past year, the mainland firmly promoted exchanges and cooperation across the Straits and worked actively to help Taiwan businesses overcome the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At present, the production and operation of Taiwan enterprises on the mainland is generally stable, and some large enterprises have increased investment and production, he said.

This year, nine Taiwan enterprises have been listed on the mainland, bringing the total number of such companies on the mainland to 58. Trade between the two sides reached $294.5 billion between January and November, leaving Taiwan a trade surplus of about $143.8 billion, according to Pan.

"The economies of the two sides are inextricably linked," he said, adding that by strengthening cooperation, people on both sides can enjoy more benefits, and Taiwan will have solid support for its economic development and the improvement of people's livelihoods.

Liu Chao-shiuan, president of the Taiwan-based council of the summit, said, "Peace across the Taiwan Straits is an anchor for world peace, and strengthening cooperation and integration between businesses on both sides is important for maintaining peace across the Straits."

The cross-Straits supply and demand chain not only benefits enterprises on both sides, but also boosts the common expectations of people across the Straits for peace and prosperity, he said.

Before the summit, Liu led a delegation of Taiwan entrepreneurs to visit several mainland cities, including Beijing and Nanjing, Jiangsu province, to promote cooperation.