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Song Tao, head of the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, participates in a Spring Festival activity in Xiamen City, southeast China's Fujian Province, January 23, 2025. /Taiwan.cn
The Chinese mainland's top Taiwan affairs official has extended festive greetings to representatives of the Taiwan business community ahead of the Spring Festival and reaffirmed the mainland's commitment to deepening cross-Straits integrated development and delivering benefits to Taiwan compatriots.
Song Tao, head of the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made these remarks during visits to Taiwan enterprises and cross-Straits exchange events attended by nearly 400 Taiwan businesspeople and compatriots in Shenzhen, a technology hub in southern China, and Xiamen, a coastal city near Taiwan, from Tuesday to Thursday.
Song learned about the business operations and development of Taiwan enterprises and listened to their opinions and suggestions. He emphasized that the mainland will continue to refine policies and mechanisms to promote cross-Straits economic and cultural exchanges and cooperation while further advancing integrated development across the Straits.
The shared values of peace, harmony, and the pursuit of a better life among people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits remain the foundation for the development of cross-Straits relations, Song said.
He expressed hope that Taiwan compatriots would uphold the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, firmly oppose "Taiwan secession" and external interference, and work together to expand cross-Straits exchanges and cooperation, promote peaceful development and achieve integrated progress.
"The warm atmosphere of the Spring Festival brings a sense of comfort. The mainland's support for Taiwan enterprises and compatriots has given those from Taiwan and Taiwan-funded businesses in Fujian greater confidence to continue their investments and support cross-Straits integrated development," said Wu Chia-ying, executive vice president of the Association of Taiwan Investment Enterprises on the mainland. Wu attended a cross-Straits exchange event celebrating Spring Festival in Xiamen, Fujian Province, on Thursday.
Designated as a demonstration zone for cross-Straits integrated development, Fujian saw 920,000 trips by Taiwan compatriots last year. Additionally, 8,986 voyages were operated on direct routes between Fujian's coastal areas and Kinmen and Mazu, carrying 1.37 million passenger visits – a year-on-year increase of 71.2 percent and 78.8 percent, respectively, according to data from the Fujian Maritime Safety Administration.
In 2024, the mainland achieved its primary goals for economic and social development, shaping new advantages for cross-Straits economic cooperation and providing new opportunities for Taiwan compatriots and businesses to deepen their engagement on the mainland, Song said.
Last year, 7,941 Taiwan-funded companies were newly established on the mainland, and cross-Straits trade volume reached $292 billion, up 9.4 percent year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs.
Guangdong Province, home to Shenzhen, serves as a frontline region in China's reform and opening-up and is geographically close to Taiwan. It has become one of the first destinations for Taiwan compatriots and businesses venturing into the mainland.
"Most of the Taiwan businesses in Guangdong were engaged in manufacturing in the past. But now they can leverage their advantages to make inroads into the service industry, semiconductors and artificial intelligence here," said Jeff Chen, president of the Dongguan Taiwan Business Association.
Guangdong exemplifies the success of Taiwan businesses on the mainland. Official statistics revealed that since the launch of the reform and opening up in 1978, Guangdong had attracted nearly 35,000 Taiwan enterprises, involving more than $94 billion of investment.
Hsu Fu-hsien, president of the Taiwan association in Shenzhen and manager of a manufacturing company, has been settled in Shenzhen for 35 years. "I benefited greatly from the reform and opening up in the 1990s. We are now keeping pace with the times by investing more in automation and innovation," he said.