Efforts urged to boost trade ties across Strait

Business communities across the Taiwan Strait were urged on Monday to serve as a bridge to promote the peaceful and integrated development of cross-Strait relations and work together to strengthen the economy of the Chinese nation.

Wang Huning, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, made the remarks in a congratulatory message to the 2024 annual conference of the Cross-Strait CEO Summit, which was held in Xiamen, Fujian province.

On behalf of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping and the CPC Central Committee, Wang congratulated the convocation of the conference and sent regards to members of the summit and all attendees.

While calling for enhancing cross-Strait cooperation and exchanges, Wang, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, reiterated the Chinese mainland's commitment to upholding the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, and its firm opposition to "Taiwan independence" separatism and external interference.

Wang called for efforts to deepen integrated development across the Taiwan Strait in various fields, and highlighted support for Taiwan compatriots and businesses in participating in the nation's modernization drive and sharing the achievements of the mainland's development and progress.

He expressed the hope that compatriots and entrepreneurs on both sides of the Taiwan Strait will uphold the great cause of the nation, follow the trend of the times, adhere to the correct direction in the development of cross-Strait relations, firmly hold the destiny of the Chinese nation in the hands of the Chinese people, and jointly write a splendid chapter of the reunification of the motherland and rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

More than 700 people from the industrial and business communities of the mainland and Taiwan attended the conference. They expressed their support for strengthening industrial and supply chains across the Strait, and expressed their desire to promote the integrated growth of cross-Strait relations.

Liu Chao-shiuan, chairman of the Taiwan-based council of the Cross-Strait CEO Summit, said that faced with the challenges of complex changes in the international landscape, cooperation among business communities across the Taiwan Strait should not remain stagnant.

"On the contrary, we must rise to the occasion, adopt a higher level of strategic thinking, and commit to enhancing the level of cooperation, expanding the scope of collaboration and deepening integrated development," Liu said.

He emphasized that there are complementary advantages and broad prospects for cross-Strait cooperation in the new energy vehicle industry. Both sides can work together to encourage more enterprises to invest in the sector to jointly build a more resilient industrial chain, he added.

Liu also called for cross-Strait cooperation in fields such as medicine and healthcare, environmental protection, advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence.

Guo Jinlong, chairman of the mainland-based council of the summit, highlighted the policies that the mainland has adopted to promote economic and cultural exchanges and cooperation between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.

"This is not only an inevitable requirement for the nation's efforts in promoting high-standard opening-up, but also demonstrates the mainland's greatest sincerity in promoting the peaceful and integrated development of cross-Strait relations, as well as enhancing the wellbeing of the people on both sides of the Strait with a people-centered approach," he said.

Guo said that the peaceful and integrated development of cross-Strait relations embodies the common aspirations of compatriots on both sides of the Strait, representing a historical inevitability.

"Any separatist actions for 'Taiwan independence' are absolutely unacceptable, as they jeopardize the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait, and we must firmly oppose them."

In the first nine months of this year, the total trade volume between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait reached $212.44 billion, up 9 percent year-on-year, and 5,725 new enterprises with investment from Taiwan entrepreneurs were established on the mainland, marking a 5.6 percent increase compared with the same period last year, Guo said.