Baseball encourages cross-Strait friendship

Over 200 students from six universities across the Taiwan Strait are currently in Beijing, participating in a six-day baseball tournament aimed at promoting exchanges and friendship.

Yang Yizhou, vice-president of the All-China Taiwanese Association, said at the opening ceremony on Saturday that the event is not only a competition but also a means to bring people closer on both sides and enhance mutual understanding.

Cao Jun-yang, a coach from Taipei City University of Science and Technology in Taiwan who previously coached baseball on a team in Beijing for a year, said he felt a strong sense of familiarity, leading his team back to compete this time.

"I hope that through the games, students can connect with each other and develop deep friendships in the years to come," he said. He also hopes that students can travel to various places through baseball, looking forward to visiting historical and cultural landmarks such as the Forbidden City to gain a deeper understanding of Chinese history.

Jiang Wei-hao, a student from the University of Kaohsiung in Taiwan, visiting Beijing for the first time through the games, said he felt excited about the advanced facilities at the mainland baseball fields and looks forward to interacting with local students.

Baseball, which is popular in Taiwan, has developed fast in recent years on the mainland, attracting many Taiwan players to come and compete with their counterparts. Among the Taiwan university baseball players participating in the event in Beijing, 90 percent are visiting the mainland for the first time.

To provide Taiwan students with a better experience of mainland culture and history, they will visit famous historical sites such as the Forbidden City and the Great Wall after the tournament.

Li Ren contributed to this story.