Chinese mainland pushes for higher-quality integrated cross-Strait development

Chinese mainland officials on Thursday pledged to ramp up efforts to deepen integrated development across the Taiwan Strait during a high-level meeting in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian.

The meeting reviewed the progresses achieved since September 2023, when the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council unveiled a circular saying that Fujian would be built into a demonstration zone to explore new pathways for integrated development with Taiwan.

Officials said the initiative has made a "strong start," and called for further policy support and implementation.

At the meeting, Song Tao, head of both the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Taiwan Office of the State Council, emphasized the need to solidly advance the plan to promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and advance the peaceful reunification of the motherland.

Fujian, which is the mainland province situated closest to Taiwan and shares cultural and linguistic ties with the island, has been a focal point for economic and social integration efforts.

Also at the meeting, provincial and relevant department officials vowed to continuously expand the field of social integration and consolidate the foundation of economic integration.

Xiao Weiming, deputy secretary-general of the National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planner, noted that Fujian utilized more than 50 percent of Taiwan's investment in the Chinese mainland in the first quarter of this year.

"In the first quarter of this year, the actual utilized Taiwan investment in Fujian Province reached 640 million U.S. dollars, achieving a rapid year-on-year growth and accounting for more than 50 percent of the national total. In the face of opportunities and challenges, we must face up to difficulties and firm up our confidence. We will continue to strengthen policy support for the construction of the demonstration zone, continue to strengthen industrial cooperation in fields such as electronic information, petrochemicals between Fujian and Taiwan, enhance the integration of related industrial chains and supply chains, and deepen the interconnection of infrastructure on both sides of the Strait," said Xiao.

Chinese mainland pushes for higher-quality integrated cross-Strait development

President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Lee Jae Myung has expressed his hope that his upcoming visit to China will help eliminate past misunderstandings and issues, underscoring the importance of ties between the two countries.

At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Lee will pay a state visit to China from Jan 4 to 7. It will be Lee's first visit to China since he took office.

In an interview with China Media Group (CMG) in Seoul on Wednesday, Lee acknowledged the existing misunderstandings and issues between the two countries, noting that addressing these issues is a key goal of his visit.

"The current international landscape is turbulent, with escalating issues among various countries. In this context, the relationship between the Republic of Korea and China holds significant importance for us. the ROK and China are deeply interconnected in many areas, including history, economy, geopolitics, politics and security. Northeast Asia's peace, stability, mutual respect, and common prosperity are crucial for both countries," said Lee.

"Admittedly, there have been some misunderstandings and issues between the ROK and China, which have hindered the development of bilateral relations to some extent. Therefore, the purpose of my upcoming visit to China is to minimize or eliminate these past issues, foster a leap in our bilateral relations to a new level, and solidify the ROK and China as partners that mutually support each other's development," he said.

ROK President hopes to reduce misunderstandings with China during upcoming visit