Cross-Strait youth development forum opens in Hangzhou to promote youth exchanges

The ninth Cross-Strait Youth Development Forum has officially opened in the city of Hangzhou in east China's Zhejiang Province on Friday, aiming to promote youth exchanges across the Taiwan Strait.

Over 1,000 guests and youth representatives from both sides of the Strait gathered in Hangzhou for the forum, which will run through July 21. Song Tao, head of both the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, and former chairperson of the Chinese Kuomintang party Hung Hsiu-chu attended the opening ceremony.

Addressing the opening event of the forum on Friday, Song said that young people on both sides of the Strait should aspire to set lofty goals and shoulder responsibilities of the times. The Chinese mainland will provide more opportunities for the growth and development of young people across the Strait, and inject greater youthful vitality into promoting the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and advancing the cause of national reunification.

"All compatriots on both sides share the same cultural heritage. No one can sever it or erase it. Chinese culture is the source of strength that ensures the steady and sustained progress of the Chinese nation. It is also the very root of young people on both sides of the Strait. Young people across the Strait should strengthen their confidence in Chinese culture, and let it radiate with even more brilliant splendor in the new era," he said. Hung said that people on both sides of the Strait, particularly young people, are descendants of Emperors Yan and Huang, sharing the same roots, ancestry and origin. She expressed the hope that young people across the Strait would eliminate prejudice and estrangement, build a bridge for communication, and advance integrated cross-Strait development and peaceful reunification through concrete actions.

"In recent years, due to the rising tide of so-called 'anti-China' sentiments and separatist fallacies of 'Taiwan secession,' cross-Straits relations have become mired in the tension and confrontation. Yet today, young people from Taiwan have broken through numerous obstacles to gather here with all of you, expressed willingness to engage in mutual exchange and sincere dialogue. Through concrete actions, you have proven that no matter how wide the Strait may be, it cannot block the hearts of our young people in pursuit of peace and friendship. And no matter how difficult the situation is, it cannot alter the aspiration of people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to grow together and move forward hand in hand," Hung said.

During the forum, a number of young people from Taiwan will also visit multiple locations across Zhejiang to participate in study tours and other programs, as they seek out new opportunities and pursue their aspirations on the mainland. "Entrepreneurship is truly the best path for young people to turn their dreams into reality. It allows you to paint the vision you hold in your heart. So I believe that if [I] have the chance to launch a venture in Zhejiang, with the support of those who came before us, it would undoubtedly be a tremendous opportunity," said Tien Jin-yu, a Taiwan youth.

Initiated in 2018, the Cross-Strait Youth Development Forum serves as an important platform for youth from both sides of the Strait to exchange ideas, foster mutual understanding, and learn from each other.

Cross-Strait youth development forum opens in Hangzhou to promote youth exchanges

Residents from Colombian capital city of Bogota expressed their gratitude to China's humanitarian aid supplies for the country's quake-affected communities after a shipment of 80-tonne relief supplies arrived on Tuesday.

A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck western Colombia on Aug 10. The death toll from the quake had risen to 304, with 4,548 people injured and 426 others missing, the country's disaster management agency said Tuesday.

The items, including generators, mobile water purification vehicles, medical disinfection gears, solar-powered lights, tents, and blankets, are urgently needed in the country which is facing the enormous challenge of relief and reconstruction.

"This is excellent. The earthquake was devastating and we are thankful to China and everyone who is helping and putting their grain of sand," said Raimundo Montemiranda, a security guard.

"Thankful to this help, and any help is going to be helpful from people and countries. This is solidarity and the unity of the world," said Eduardo Prieto, an insurance salesman.

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella said Monday night that about one-third of Colombia had been affected by the quake, which was centered in San Jose del Palmar in the department of Choco.

He said preliminary estimates put direct economic losses from the earthquake at nearly 30 trillion Colombian pesos (about 9.6 billion U.S. dollars), including 24.5 trillion pesos in building damage and 5.5 trillion pesos in infrastructure damage.

Domestic and international humanitarian aid are both keeping pouring into the hardest-hit areas while search and rescue teams are still working in places where people may remain trapped under the rubble.

Bogota residents express gratitude to China's quake relief supplies for Colombia