Guests at cross-Strait Mid-Autumn gathering in Beijing call for closer exchanges, shared development

More than 400 guests from both sides of the Taiwan Strait gathered at the Yanqi Lake in the northeastern suburbs of Beijing Wednesday to mark the upcoming traditional Mid-Autumn Festival, share nostalgic feelings and discuss future development of cross-Strait relations.

At the lively gathering, performers and youth representatives from both sides put up a heartwarming cross-Strait musical performance event, produced by China Media Group, showcasing a spirit of collaboration and harmony.

"We must follow the mainstream public opinion on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Under the current circumstances, we must adhere to a path of peaceful and integrated development. Just like the bright moon in the sky, I think we must look out for each other and live in harmony," said Kent Chen, chairman of the Taiwan Chinese Young Entrepreneurs Association.

Before the event, Song Tao, head of the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, attended a tea reception. He said that celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival and sharing family bonds reflects the Chinese people's tradition of worshiping the moon as a token of kinship and togetherness.

Compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should bathe in the same moon, trace together the roots of their shared bloodline, walk the same path, chart the prospects of integrated development, and fulfill the same dream and shoulder together the responsibility for national rejuvenation, he said.

"The shared Chinese roots and Chinese soul of compatriots across the Taiwan Strait stem from our same bloodline, are rooted in history, and are forged in our hearts. They can not be forgotten and cannot be erased. They can withstand rain, snow, and frost, and no individual or force can change them," he said.

At the event, Taiwan businesspeople and other compatriots expressed the hope that the two sides can enhance mutual trust, expand exchanges, and share peace and prosperity on the basis of upholding the "1992 Consensus" and opposing separatism.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is traditionally associated with the full moon, which symbolizes unity, harmony and family reunion. This year, the festival falls on Friday.

Japan's benchmark 10-year government bond yield temporarily spiked to 3.055 percent on Wednesday, the first trading day after the country's five-day Silver Week holiday period.

According to public broadcaster NHK, the 10-year government bond yield, a key barometer of long-term interest rates, reached its highest level since September 1996.

Bond prices and yields maintain an inverse relationship. As bond yields rise, bond prices fall, and conversely, when yields decline, bond prices rise.

Higher bond yields will put further pressure on Japan's debt-servicing costs. According to the International Monetary Fund, Japan has the highest public debt ratio among advanced economies, at about 207 percent of its gross domestic product. That is roughly double the average of the Group of Seven economies.