BEIJING, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The first cross-Strait youth development forum will be held in east China's Hangzhou city on July 8, and Hung Hsiu-chu, former chairperson of the Kuomintang party from Taiwan will attend the forum, a spokesperson said in Beijing Wednesday.
"Each summer, there are many activities being held to promote communication across the Taiwan Strait, and this summer is expecting more of these events," said Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson with the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, at a press conference.
Over 1,000 Taiwan youths will visit the mainland and attend summer camps in more than 20 provincial-level regions, and about 1,600 students from mainland and Taiwan will be in Beijing in July for the cross-Strait youth exchange and cooperation summit, according to Ma.
Sports events such as baseball and martial arts will also be held for young players from both sides of the Strait.
Cross-Strait trade forums will be held in Tianjin and Guizhou, while Hubei Province will host the 15th Taiwan week, all in July, said Ma.
Ma also pointed out central and local authorities have been proactively implementing policies issued by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council and the National Development and Reform Commission in late February to promote economic, trade and cultural exchanges and cooperation across the Taiwan Strait.
Local authorities, including those of Shanghai Municipality, Fujian Province and Xiamen City have all issued detailed policies based on their local conditions, and many of the policies have brought practical results already.
"We will never stop our efforts to promote communication and cooperation between compatriots on both sides of the Strait, and our goodwill to improve the wellbeing of the compatriots on both sides of the Strait will never change," Ma said, promising that Taiwan compatriots would find more opportunities and space of development in the mainland.
Ma expressed his belief that with the development and progress of the mainland, and the policy of the mainland winning the support of more and more Taiwan people, more Taiwan compatriots will join the efforts to promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait ties and make their contributions to the peaceful reunification of the Chinese nation.
