Mainland's support facilitates Taiwan compatriots' study, life, work

BEIJING, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- With a raft of supportive measures provided by the Chinese mainland, Taiwan compatriots have enjoyed increasingly greater convenience in studying, working and living on the mainland over the last five years, said a mainland spokesperson on Wednesday.

Taiwan compatriots are enjoying the same treatment as their mainland counterparts in more areas, Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, told a press conference.

Such measures include those for promoting cross-Strait economic and cultural exchanges and cooperation, supporting Taiwan-funded businesses during the COVID-19 epidemic, and supporting compatriots and businesses from the island in pursuit of development in the mainland's agriculture and forestry sectors.

The mainland worked to deliver diversified and highly-efficient financial services to compatriots and investors from Taiwan, said Zhu. In 2022, 10 Taiwan-funded firms went public in the mainland's A-shares market, a record high, pushing up the total number of Taiwan-funded businesses listed in the A-shares market to 59, Zhu added.

The mainland has approved six zones for cross-Strait industrial cooperation in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Chongqing Municipality and the provinces of Sichuan, Hubei, Jiangxi and Hunan, as part of the mainland's support to empower economic parks involving Taiwan investors and businesses, Zhu said.

Incomplete statistics showed that about 10,000 Taiwan compatriots had signed up for qualification exams organized by the mainland, said Zhu.