The 15th Straits Forum will be held in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province, with the main conference scheduled to commence on Saturday.

Over 5,000 individuals from various backgrounds in the Taiwan region, including representatives from political parties, professionals from different industries and members of religious circles, have been invited to the forum, which aims to foster cooperation across diverse sectors.

A total of 51 events will take place during the forum, focusing on promoting cultural and economic exchanges and communication among the youth and people at the primary level across the Taiwan Straits.

Over the past decade, increased trade and exchanges between the Chinese mainland and the Taiwan region have brought tangible benefits to people on both sides.

The Chinese mainland has been the Taiwan region's largest export market for the last 22 years, generating a large annual surplus for the island. The volume of cross-Straits trade rose to $319.68 billion in 2022 from $46 million in 1978.

In 2022, the Taiwan region's trade with the Chinese mainland accounted for 22.6 percent of the island's total external trade. Taiwan's exports to the Chinese mainland accounted for 25.3 percent of the island's total exports.

The Chinese mainland has become the largest destination for Taiwan's off-island investment in 2022, attracting 33.6 percent of the island's total off-island investment in 2022. Taiwan's investment on the Chinese mainland mainly went to Jiangsu, Fujian and Guangdong. 

Taiwan region's investment on the Chinese mainland in 2022 was mostly related to electronic parts and components manufacturing, with a share of 29.6 percent. Computer, electronic and optical product manufacturing industries attracted 10.4 percent of the investment. 

Data editor: Yao Nian

Graphics designer: Mukesh Mohanan