With the theme of expanding people-to-people exchanges and deepening integrative development between the Chinese mainland and the island of Taiwan, the 15th Straits Forum kicked off in Xiamen in east China's Fujian Province on Friday.

The forum will receive about 5,000 attendees, including delegates of multiple political parties from Taiwan, as well as representatives from various sectors such as business, education, agriculture, culture, sci-tech and finance.

Leading a Kuomintang delegation, Hsia Li-yan, vice-chairman of the island's main opposition party, will attend the forum in person.

At the press conference on Thursday, Chen Zhiyong, deputy director of the Organizing Committee Office of Straits Forum and deputy director of the Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao Office of Fujian Province, said that a total of 51 events will take place during this forum, falling under four major themes - grassroots communication, youth development, culture and economy.

As the largest cross-Straits people-to-people exchange event after the mainland eased COVID-19 travel restrictions, the forum provides an opportunity for people on both sides of the Straits to gather offline.

Chen noted that the forum has received a positive response from civil organizations and people in Taiwan, which fully demonstrates that restoring cross-Straits exchanges is the common aspiration of compatriots on both sides of the Straits.

The forum has been the largest annual event across the Taiwan Straits since it was launched in 2009. With diversified topics and activities, and the large number of participants from a wide range of sectors, it has played an important role in promoting cross-Straits people-to-people exchanges.

The power of youth

The forum continues to focus on the development of youth from both sides of the Straits, arranging eight special events, such as the Straits Youth Forum and the Cross-Straits New Media Creation and Sharing Forum.

At the Straits Youth Forum on Friday, representatives of young people from the Taiwan region have been invited to share their experiences of receiving their education and starting a career on the mainland.

Three young people who are devoted to the rural revitalization of Chengnei village in Xiamen said they really enjoy their life and career in the 300-year-old village and that cross-Straits integration is a key aim of their work.  

The forum is said to help provide more than 1,200 jobs and more than 1,000 internships and training positions to youth from Taiwan. More policies and measures will be released as well, to encourage young people from Taiwan to study, find jobs, start businesses and live on the mainland.