Huang Kunming, secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Guangdong Provincial Committee, met with the Taiwan youth delegation led by former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang Party Ma Ying-jeou on Tuesday. During the meeting, the Guangdong chief called for deepening cooperation and exchanges with China's Taiwan island.

A long while ago, Taiwan-funded enterprises had landed and gradually gathered in Guangdong, which has made the southern province one of the most active regions with the longest history for economic, cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, Huang said.

The Guangdong Party chief spoke highly of Ma's visit during Qingming Festival, a traditional Chinese festival that pays tribute to the dead and a time for people to worship their ancestors.

Huang said the long-standing, extensive, and profound Chinese culture is the root and belonging of the souls of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits. 

Ma, who is leading the youth delegation's visit to the mainland from April 1 to 11, arrived in south China's Shenzhen on Monday and has visited several mainland cities, including Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Guangzhou.

During their meeting, Ma agreed that more cross-Straits exchanges should be held, especially among the younger generations. The youth are the future for the peaceful development across the Taiwan Straits, Ma said.

(Cover: Sun Yat-sen University students converse with young people from China's Taiwan in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, April 3, 2024. /Xinhua)