The Chinese mainland has reiterated its commitment to enhancing youth exchanges across the Taiwan Strait and has called on the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities to lift restrictions hindering cross-strait travel.
At a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday, Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, warmly welcomed more young people from Taiwan to visit the mainland. She emphasized the importance of fostering mutual understanding and cooperation among youth on both sides of the strait.
Zhu’s remarks came in response to inquiries about an upcoming visit by faculty and students from seven mainland universities, including Tsinghua University, Peking University, and Fudan University. Scheduled for late November, the visit is organized at the invitation of the Ma Ying-jeou Culture and Education Foundation based in Taiwan.
“This exchange serves as a reciprocal visit following Ma Ying-jeou’s earlier trip, where he led a group of students from Taiwan to visit universities on the mainland,” Zhu noted. Ma is the former chairman of the Kuomintang.
In addition to youth exchanges, Zhu highlighted the recent resumption of travel from Fujian Province to Kinmen and Matsu islands. As of October 31, mainland immigration authorities had processed 58,735 travel permit applications for these destinations.
“These figures reflect the strong enthusiasm among mainland residents to visit Kinmen and Matsu,” she said. “We will continue to facilitate group tourism to Taiwan as part of our efforts to enhance cross-strait relations.”
Zhu urged the DPP authorities to “heed the voices of the public and remove restrictions on cross-strait exchanges at an early date,” emphasizing that increased interaction benefits people on both sides of the strait.
Reference(s):
Mainland urges DPP to lift cross-Straits travel restrictions
cgtn.com
