Cross-Strait businesses sign deals in Xiamen to expand cooperation

Enterprises from the Chinese mainland and businesses and trade associations from various parts of Taiwan signed cooperation agreements at a matchmaking and signing event held in east China's Xiamen City on Saturday, aiming to expand cross-Strait economic exchanges and trade.

Under the agreements, mainland companies will purchase a range of specialty agricultural and fishery products from Taiwan, including aemoyas, pomelos, and tea produced in counties and cities such as Taitung, Yunlin, and Nantou.

The event was held to advance a package of 10 policies and measures unveiled by the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee in April to promote cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation. The measures are designed to address the practical needs of Taiwan compatriots and benefit young people, farmers, fishermen and small and medium-sized businesses.

Addressing the event, Song Tao, head of both the Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said Taiwan's future hinges on the Chinese mainland's development and progress, as well as on the motherland's reunification and strength.

He called on people on both sides of the Strait to uphold the broader interests of the Chinese nation, deepen integrated development across the Strait and work toward national reunification.

"Compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should uphold the overall interests of the Chinese nation, shoulder the great responsibilities of the times, promote the reunification of the motherland, and join hands to embark on a new journey of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," he said.

Chang Jung-kung, vice chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang party, said cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation remain the best way to enhance mutual understanding and improve the well-being of people on both sides.

He said the Kuomintang will continue to support the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and seek greater benefits for the public.

"I am deeply grateful for the efforts of the relevant parties on both sides of the Taiwan Strait in facilitating today's signing ceremony. I look forward to seeing more projects implemented in the future, so as to contribute to a steady increase in mainstream public support in Taiwan society for mutually beneficial cooperation across the Taiwan Strait," Chang said.

Taiwan business representatives attending the event said the 10 measures are a "shot in the arm" for revitalizing Taiwan's related industries and improving people's livelihoods.

They said the agreements would help more agricultural and fishery products in Taiwan enter the mainland market and bring tangible benefits to farmers and fishermen.

"I am encouraged to see peaceful development across the Taiwan Strait, and I hope that the two sides can deepen exchanges so that Taiwan's high-quality agricultural and fishery products can find a market in the mainland and local industries can develop," Su Ching-chuan, Chairman of the Pingtung County branch of the Kuomintang said in a video message.

The representatives also expressed hope that the two sides would strengthen communication and dialogue in a spirit of goodwill, enabling more cooperation initiatives to deliver concrete results.

Cross-Strait businesses sign deals in Xiamen to expand cooperation

A record number of Americans left the United States last year, with data from the Brookings Institution showing between 210,000 and 405,000 people voluntarily moved overseas, marking the first time in at least half a century that more departed than arrived.

For decades, the U.S. was seen as a place to pursue a better life, often called "The American Dream." But surveys suggest many now see their future elsewhere.

A Gallup poll found about 20 percent of Americans would like to move abroad, while the Association of American Residents Overseas estimates 5.5 million Americans were already living overseas in 2024, a figure that has since grown.

Jen Barnett, an expat planning coach, said that she had always wanted to live abroad. She moved to Merida, Mexico a decade ago.

"I knew that there was life beyond Huffman, Alabama, and I wanted to see what was out there. In 2016 after the [presidential] election, I said, okay, let's do this," she said.

In 2022 she co-founded Expatsi, a company that helps Americans relocate. She says interest has surged since U.S. President Donald Trump was elected to a second term in 2024.

"It is not as simple as one politician. I think it is the realization that the U.S. is not what we thought it was and a feeling that the social contract has been broken," she said.

Mexico remains the most common destination, followed by Canada. Increasingly, expats are also choosing Uruguay, Costa Rica and Panama in Latin America, as well as Germany and Portugal in Europe.

Many cite crime and gun violence at home, while seeking lower living costs and affordable healthcare abroad.

"The amount of money that you need to retire is millions in the U.S. to guarantee that you can have health care, god forbid you need assisted living, which might cost 10,000 or 15,000 U.S. dollars a month. In a place like Portugal, you could have full-time live-in care for 2,000 dollars a month," she said.

Remote work and technology have made relocation easier, though language barriers, cultural differences and bureaucracy remain challenges.

"Most of the challenges that you face are internal. I think people just need to see others doing it," she said.

Many expats hold visas or dual citizenship, but growing numbers are making the move permanent.

Before 2009, only 200 to 400 Americans renounced their citizenship each year. In 2025, that figure was just under 5,000, with a backlog of about 30,000 awaiting appointments to formally give up their U.S. citizenship.

Record number of Americans moving abroad amid rising cost and discontent