Taiwan attendees at Xiamen forum support greater cross-Strait exchanges

China

Taiwan attendees at Xiamen forum support greater cross-Strait exchanges

2025-06-15 17:40 Last Updated At：23:17

Taiwan attendees at the 17th Straits Forum in Fujian of the Chinese mainland have voiced strong support for cross-Strait exchanges.

More than 7,000 people from all walks of life in Taiwan participated at the forum. The primary venue is set up in the coastal city of Xiamen, and other events will be held during the week-long forum around Fujian.

Young attendees from Taiwan have expressed their particular interests in the mainland's development potential.

"With its vast market, the mainland offers excellent development opportunities for us both in life and employment," said Huang Min-ju, a young attendee.

"If you look at Guizhou's Rongjiang Village Super League, it combines local ethnic features with cultural tourism and sports. The mainland's innovative capabilities are truly remarkable. I hope more young people from Taiwan will visit the mainland to explore these opportunities themselves," said Mao Chih-yuan, another young participant.

"We sincerely hope to bring more young people in Taiwan to visit the mainland and personally understand why cross-Strait exchanges and peaceful relations are essential for our shared future," said Hsiao Hsu-tsen, executive director of the Ma Ying-jeou Culture and Education Foundation.

The forum featured multiple speakers from Taiwan, including Taipei-born legal professional Lin Haoding with 16 years of mainland practice experience, all sharing their cross-Strait exchange experiences.

"As a speaker at this year's forum, my strongest conviction is that my destiny is inseparable from our motherland and the Chinese nation. We must work together for the great rejuvenation of our nation," said Lin.

This year's forum coincides with the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the 80th anniversary of Taiwan's recovery. Lin Ming-ts'ung, a descendant of Taiwan's renowned Wufeng Lin family, called on compatriots across the Strait to remember history and work together for a shared future.

"We should engage in open dialogue, and no heartfelt differences remain irreconcilable. By doing so, can we unite and collectively pursue the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," said Lin.

Japanese protest against Takaichi's erroneous remarks on China's Taiwan

Japanese people held a rally in Shibuya, Tokyo, on Saturday to oppose Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's erroneous remarks about China's Taiwan region and attempts to revive militarism.

At a Diet meeting in early November 2025, Takaichi claimed that the Chinese central authorities' "use of force on Taiwan" could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan and implied the possibility of armed intervention in the Taiwan Strait, which drew strong criticism worldwide.

At the rally, protesters chanted slogans of "Oppose remarks on advocating 'Taiwan emergency' and "Oppose remarks on possessing nuclear weapons."

"To lead Japan towards nuclear armament, [the Takaichi administration] came up with the so-called rhetoric on 'Taiwan emergency.' It is advancing the war under such context. They aim to move toward war step by step by destroying Japan's Constitution and abolishing the Three Non-Nuclear Principles. Therefore, we must strive to prevent war before it happens," said a protester.

At the year end of 2025, Takaichi approved a record 782 billion U.S. dollars budget for the next fiscal year, including the largest defense budget on record.

Earlier in December 2025, the Japanese parliament passed a 118 billion U.S. dollar supplementary budget to fund a new stimulus package, including over 10 billion U.S. dollars for security and diplomacy.

"I think every Japanese is clearly aware that Takaichi's government is a right-wing regime in nature. The Takaichi administration has walked on the path -- bringing defense-related spending to 2 percent of gross domestic product within fiscal 2025 by a supplementary budget. From the perspective of this thoroughly militarized system and approach, I feel a strong sense of crisis," said another protester.

For decades, Japan capped its annual defense budget at around 1 percent of GDP, roughly 5 trillion yen, reflecting its postwar pacifist stance under the war-renouncing Constitution. Since fiscal 2023, Japan's annual defense budget has successively exceeded 6 trillion yen, 7 trillion yen, 8 trillion yen, and 9 trillion yen.