Fujian opens one-stop service center for Taiwan people, firms

The Chinese mainland's first labor security and service center for Taiwan compatriots and enterprises was founded in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian province, in mid-April, providing better services to companies and residents from the country's biggest island.

The founding of the Mawei District Taiwan People and Taiwan Enterprise Labor Security Service Center aims to better provide labor security services for islanders who come to Fujian for investment, entrepreneurship, employment, tourism, study and living, as well as those striving to further promote integrated development across the Taiwan Strait, said Liang Mengqiao, director of Mawei's human resources and security bureau.

The center provides various one-stop services for Taiwan compatriots and companies, including helping people find jobs, start businesses, obtain professional qualifications, recruit talent, sign up for social insurance, receive legal and regulatory consultations and resolve labor disputes, Liang said.

The founding of the center on April 16 is part of efforts to further improve Fuzhou's investment climate and better serve the city's myriad of investors and business representatives from Taiwan.

Su Renguang, an official from Liang's bureau, said many Taiwan compatriots mainly learn about the mainland's labor security policies via online channels when they arrive for employment and entrepreneurship.

"That often leads to a lack of in-depth understanding of policies and a lack of unified channels for coping with their problems, which to some extent restricts the popularization and enjoyment of the benefits the mainland is offering to people from Taiwan," he said.

The center's primary aim is to serve as an integrated labor security service platform that unites various functions of labor security in the city, Su said.

At the center, face-to-face policy promotion can be effectively carried out, and customized services can be provided according to the actual needs of enterprises and residents from Taiwan, he added.

Kuo Yi-fan, a representative of Taiwan Youth Entrepreneurship in Fujian, said the founding of the center has helped bring people from the island and Fujian closer together.

"It has also strengthened my confidence and determination to develop my career and business on the mainland," said Kuo, who has worked and lived in Fuzhou, known as a "city of banyan trees", for eight years.

During the founding ceremony, Mawei's Taiwan affairs office and the human resources and security bureau signed the Agreement on Cooperation and Co-construction of Labor Rights Protection for Taiwan Enterprises and Compatriots and appointed several Taiwan compatriots and legal representatives as special mediators.

Lu Hui, president of Mawei District Arbitration Court, said the court has taken the lead in providing its services at the center, offering labor law consultations, dispute mediations, arbitrations, employment assistance and more to Taiwan compatriots and enterprises.

Huang Zhifeng, a lawyer with the Tenet & Partners (Fuzhou) Law Firm, said as a mediator, he can intervene in disputes and resolve conflicts more effectively, helping safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of workers.

Fujian, which faces Taiwan across the Taiwan Strait, has always attached great importance to the protection of the labor rights and interests of Taiwan compatriots and enterprises, he said. The eastern Chinese province is not only a hot spot for many enterprises funded by islanders, but is also home to many Taiwan compatriots.

Contact the writers at zhengcaixiong@chinadaily.com.cn