China's Taiwan region and its neighboring Fujian Province will share a better integration system in which people-to-people exchanges will be more convenient and trade and investment will flow more smoothly, a mainland official said on Thursday during a press conference releasing a document advising on how to further integrate the two sides of the Taiwan Straits.

Greater strides will be taken in advancing communication between Fujian and Taiwan, Pan Xianzhang, vice director of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, told reporters.

The document further proposes initiatives such as promoting the seamless connectivity of infrastructure between Fujian and Taiwan and exploring infrastructure collaboration between Xiamen and Kinmen, Pan said.

Stressing that more steps will also be taken to benefit Taiwan compatriots, he said the document fully incorporates effective policy measures that have been implemented in recent years and introduces more vigorous and inclusive policies.

Such policies include broadening the recognition of professional qualifications of Taiwan compatriots and facilitating land use and financing for Taiwan farmers and fishermen, Pan said.

The third aspect of the document involves pushing for more people-to-people exchanges, Pan said. It further proposes leveraging the ancestral advantages of Taiwan compatriots in the Quanzhou and Zhangzhou Minnan-speaking regions, establishing a global Minnan cultural exchange center and engaging in integrated development practices with Penghu, he added.

(Cover: Pan Xianzhang, vice director of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, speaks at a press conference in Beijing, September 14, 2023. /CFP)