The 17th Straits Forum will commence in east China's Fujian Province on June 15, said Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council on Wednesday.
The forum is a non-governmental exchange event welcomed by people on both sides of the Strait, Zhu said at a press conference in Beijing. The week-long forum will hold its main event in the coastal city of Xiamen, with additional activities planned in other cities of Fujian and the Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Zone, Zhu added.
"The forum focuses on 'non-governmental, grassroots, and broad-based' participation and the theme of 'expanding people-to-people exchange and deepening integrated development.' It features a series of 56 events across four major categories, namely youth exchanges, grassroots exchanges, cultural exchanges, and economic exchanges. Over 7,000 representatives from various sectors in Taiwan, including political parties, labor unions, youth groups, women's organizations, folk religion groups, agriculture, fisheries, water conservancy, culture and tourism, healthcare, and business and finance, will be invited to participate," Zhu said.
Former Chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang party, Ma Ying-jeou, together with a group of young people to visit the mainland from June 14 to 27, will also participate in the forum.
Since its inception in 2009, the forum has served as a vital platform for fostering extensive cross-Strait interactions and cooperation.
17th Straits Forum to commence in Fujian Province
