Chinese mainland rolls out new measures to deepen cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation

Various cities across the Chinese mainland have rolled out a series of initiatives and activities to promote exchanges and cooperation across the Taiwan Strait, according to a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council on Wednesday.

At a regular press briefing, spokesperson Zhu Fenglian highlighted recent efforts by local governments to strengthen cross-Strait ties, with a focus on youth exchanges, economic cooperation, and cultural interaction for Taiwan compatriots.

According to Zhu, youth organizations from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan will jointly host cross-Strait youth exchange activities from August 24 to 28 in Shanghai. During the event, young people will hold discussions on emerging technologies and Chinese culture at a main forum. They will also participate in cultural activities, explore local food and creative products, and attend a gala featuring performers from both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

After the event, participants will visit Shanghai as well as neighboring Zhejiang Province for study tours, including visits to schools, rural communities, and enterprises, where they will learn about cutting-edge technologies such as AI robots.

Meanwhile, Xiamen, a coastal city in southeast China's Fujian Province, introduced 12 measures on Tuesday to further facilitate exchanges and cooperation with Taiwan.

These measures include establishing a distribution hub for Taiwan's agricultural and fishery products to expand sales channels, enhancing services for Taiwan compatriots visiting Xiamen for the first time, and organizing exchanges on preserving and transmitting intangible cultural heritage.

Xiamen will also establish a platform for cooperation in the audiovisual sector, support training programs for Taiwan young people in digital content creation, and encourage Taiwan businesses to participate in the production of mainland short online dramas.

Fuzhou, capital city of Fujian, has also recently introduced new measures to support the Strait Youth Development-Oriented City initiative, which focuses on employment and entrepreneurship, innovation cooperation, and youth exchanges.

Launched by Fuzhou in 2025, the initiative has since expanded through cooperation with 17 cities, including Beijing, Chongqing and Guangzhou. It aims to attract cross-Strait talent and create an environment for them to integrate and succeed.

"These policies have broader coverage, stronger targeting and are expected to bring greater benefits to Taiwan compatriots," Zhu said.

The latest measures follow a series of steps taken earlier this year to promote cross-Strait exchanges.

In April, during Kuomintang Chairperson Cheng Li-wun's mainland visit, the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee announced a package of 10 policy measures to facilitate cross-Strait cooperation in areas including political party exchanges, infrastructure connectivity, direct transportation links, agricultural and fishery product imports, and film and cultural cooperation.