The 2026 Cross-Strait Sports Carnival, a flagship event of the 2026 Straits Forum, kicked off in Xiamen, in east China's Fujian Province on Friday, featuring 100 different competitions in 44 sports, including baseball, basketball, badminton, dragon boat racing and road running.
At the launch ceremony, an installation symbolizing unity and aspirations was illuminated as spectators enjoyed performances including dragon dances, martial arts demonstrations, baseball calisthenics and cheerleading, along with Fujian and Taiwan folk songs and dances as well as intangible cultural heritage shows.
"Through sports competitions, we can bring people from both sides of the Strait together, from young children all the way to adults. With more events and exchanges on the horizon, as long as the two sides work hand in hand, we are bound to create wonderful outcomes together," said Jiang Peiqi, chairwoman of the Fuzhou Sea Knights professional baseball club.
For young people from the Taiwan region living on the Chinese mainland, sports serves as a gateway to integrate into local life and build social connections.
Li Zhenxuan, a young man from Taiwan living and working in Pingtan, in Fujian Province, is currently competing in the ongoing Fujian Football Super League as part of the Pingtan team - the first Taiwan compatriot to participate in the regional league.
"An increasing number of young people from Taiwan region will come to the mainland to take part in sports events. I think the Fujian Football Super League is an excellent starting point for football enthusiasts from Taiwan to visit the mainland. Joining teams on the mainland is absolutely a growing trend. Since people on both sides share the same language, you don't have to go through a long adaptation period when you come to live and work here. Communication with teammates is very smooth. Coming to the mainland is the right decision," Li said.
In recent years, a growing number of Taiwan sports organizations and young athletes have traveled to the mainland for competitive exchanges, deepening mutual understanding and forging lasting friendships through shared competition.
The Cross-Strait Sports Carnival, which boasts more participants from Taiwan than any other sports event on the mainland, will continue to serve as a key platform, building an even broader stage for cross-Strait sports exchanges and youth interactions.
Cross-Strait Sports Carnival kicks off in Fujian
China stands ready to work with Pakistan to continuously promote peace and advance dialogue, and keep making efforts for the early restoration of peace, stability and development in the Middle East, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Tuesday.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks in a phone conversation with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar.
Dar briefed on the situation of the first-phase memorandum of understanding (MoU) reached between Iran and the United States, expressing gratitude to China for maintaining close communication with Pakistan over the past few months and providing valuable support for Pakistan's mediation efforts.
The Pakistani side looks forward to continuing communication and coordination with the Chinese side, maintaining the current momentum of peace talks, and jointly playing a positive role in achieving lasting peace and stability in the region, Dar added.
Wang congratulated Pakistan on facilitating the first-phase MoU between Iran and the United States, and stressed that working for peace is an international responsibility shared by all countries, including China and Pakistan.
As long as there remains hope for peace, every effort is worthwhile, he said.
Since the outbreak of the war, China has engaged with all parties and actively promoted a ceasefire and peace talks, Wang noted. From the very beginning, China has firmly supported Pakistan and emphasized to all parties that Pakistan is a trustworthy mediator, he said, adding that China has also engaged separately with Iran and the United States in its own way.
Quoting a Chinese saying, "For a journey of a hundred miles, reaching ninety is only half the task," Wang noted that the current consensus is far from the end point but a new starting point, and lasting peace in the Middle East and the Gulf region still requires sustained efforts from all parties.
It is foreseeable that, compared with the first phase of the talks, the second phase will be even more difficult. However, China believes there must be no turning back, still less any return to the use of force, he said.
The international community should further support the Iran-U.S. talks, and multilateral institutions, including the United Nations Security Council, should also play a greater role, said Wang.
China has consistently advocated that regional countries should take their future and destiny into their own hands, and hopes to explore, through dialogue and consultation, a peace and security architecture that is jointly participated in by all countries in the region, he said.
Once the door to peace has been opened, it should not be closed again, said Wang, adding that the Middle East has been deeply scarred by war and its people deserve peace.
China to continue efforts with Pakistan for early restoration of peace in Middle East: FM
