The 10th Hubei Wuhan–Taiwan Week is underway in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province until Oct 28, and representatives of 100 cross–Straits enterprises took part in a forum immediately after the opening ceremony on Oct 23.

Participants included Qi Xuchun, the vice-chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, Zheng Lizhong, executive deputy director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, and Jiang Xiaoyan, vice-chairman of the Kuomintang.

Zheng said at the opening ceremony that the site of the Wuchang uprising of the 1911 Revolution will be developed into a Cross-Straits Exchange Base.

This year's Taiwan week, with the theme "Rising strategy of central China -- cooperation opportunities and prospects for cross-Straits enterprises", is expected to attract investment reaching 20 billion yuan ($3.29 billion), concerning 35 contracts and agreements, in fields such as electronics, machinery, chemical engineering, textile, commerce and trade, food and agricultural products processing.

Statistics released in August show that a total of more than 1,000 Taiwan enterprises are located in Wuhan, and their combined investment continues to grow annually.

Gao Kong-Lian, vice-chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation, said in his speech that the development potential of Taiwan enterprises has become increasingly evident when one considers the area from the Pearl River Delta to the Yangtze River Delta.

He also said that this development benefits from the convenient cross-Straits transportation and that direct shipping ties to be established between Wuhan and Taiwan will further support the supply chain.

Edited by Niva Whyman and Le Qin