Editor's note: The 2023 Cross-Strait Youth Summit has commenced in Beijing. The entire summit will last for about three months with various activities in between, and about 1,200 young people from China's Taiwan region will be attending. We attended the open sessions of the Summit and brought back to you what the young people from Taiwan think about the Chinese mainland and, for many of them, their first-time experience here.

Hey guys, welcome to Reality Check. I'm Huang Jiyuan.

I'm here at the 2023 Cross-Strait Youth Summit in Beijing. The entire summit will last for about three months with various activities in between. About 1,200 young people from China's Taiwan region will be attending. For many of them, this is their first time coming to the Chinese mainland. We had the chance to chat with them about their experience here. 

Li Xinru, a junior in the university, told us that this is her first time coming to the Chinese mainland. And for her, it's the human touch that impresses her. "Whether it was the taxi driver or the lady helped me taking pictures, I got a lot of help from them," she said while recounting her experience visiting the Qianmen Street by herself.

You En'yang, a university lecturer, said that the most similar thing between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan is that the bond and human touch still exist. Random pedestrians were happy to help with his phone when it wasn't working smoothly.

Zhang Shaofu, a senior in college, told us that the convenient store 7-Eleven in Beijing reminded him of Taipei where he lives. And the complexity of the subway system in Beijing surprised him. "There are many more subway lines here," he said.

Deputy Director of the Youth Association at the Beijing Association of Taiwan Investment Enterprises Xu Yuge believes that "difference" is actually getting more alike. "Especially among the young people, the things they are focused on and the goals and development they are pursuing are becoming more and more alike," she said.

Former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang Party Ma Ying-jeou said after concluding his trip to the mainland in April that he has shown by his actions that adhering to the 1992 Consensus, seeking common ground while reserving differences, and respecting each other can lead to having a common political foundation with the mainland.

Whatever the political conditions are today, young people here will be the anchors of the cross-Straits relationship in the future. And throughout our conversations, it is clear that the young people seek peaceful, stable and prosperous cross-Straits development.

Director of the Youth Department of the KMT Kent Chen said in interviews at the Summit that he really hopes young people from Taiwan could come to the mainland and see with their own eyes. "You can check the information you get from social media through such real interaction," he said. 

You En'Yang echoed the sentiment by saying that he really hopes the young people could see the cross-Straits relations in a correct way. They need to see with their own eyes instead of "learning about it from a third-party source," he said.

Zhang Shaofu was passionate about cross-Straits cooperation. He stressed that the two sides should work together especially in innovation and development "in order to better contribute to the country."

Xu Yuge told us that as someone who travels constantly between the mainland and Taiwan, she sees peace as the common goal between the mainland and Taiwan. And she hopes that young people from both sides could shape the Chinese image 
on the global stage together. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping wrote in a letter to young people from Taiwan in 2022, that "the future of the motherland and the nation lies with the youth." As long as we keep up with these exchanges and conversations across the straits, the future will be hopeful.

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