Everyone reaps benefit of close ties across the Taiwan Strait

THE 2018 annual conference for entrepreneurs on either side of the Taiwan Strait showed economic cooperation was beneficial to people and enterprises, a Chinese mainland spokesman said yesterday.

The conference also showed that industrial and business communities across the Strait were close, said Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.

The conference for entrepreneurs across the Taiwan Strait was held on December 4 in Xiamen, southeast China’s Fujian Province.

“Being held for five years (running), the annual conference has played an important role in promoting industrial cooperation across the Strait, improving people’s wellbeing, and advancing the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations,” Ma said.

“Three cross-Strait industrial cooperation zones were established in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Sichuan and Hubei provinces since last year.”

Ma said the industrial cooperation zones would help Taiwanese enterprises participate in the Belt and Road Initiative and share development opportunities in central and western China.

So far, 55 administrative areas in 22 mainland provincial regions have taken tailored measures to better implement the 31 preferential policies for Taiwanese compatriots, according to Ma.

The measures, designed for local conditions, include tax cuts for high-tech enterprises, scholarships for Taiwanese students on the mainland, discounts for public transport and public rental housing, regulations to attract more Taiwanese compatriots and protection for legal rights.

The 31 preferential policies released in February cover legal rights, education, culture and tourism, and are aimed at improving the lives of all Taiwanese people.

Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, addressed the conference.

Meanwhile, Ma denounced “Taiwan independence” supporters’ attacks on a Taiwanese baker who made a statement supporting the 1992 Consensus.

Wu Pao-chun, a popular baker in Taiwan, issued a statement on his bakery’s website on Monday saying that he was proud of being Chinese and supported the 1992 Consensus. The island’s leader Tsai Ing-wen said Wu’s move was the result of “political repression” from the mainland.

“Mr Wu expressed a correct attitude and normal affections in his statement,” said Ma. “The attacks on his statement were in fact ‘political repression.’”

Wu is opening a bakery in Shanghai jointly with the Singapore-based bakery Bread Talk. The store will officially open next week.

“The incident again showed that Taiwan authorities were indifferent to pressing demands from Taiwanese people to improve cross-Strait relations,” Ma said.