Xiamen spearheads measures to foster better relationships

Taiwan businesspeople, students and workers are for the first time eligible to use public rental housing in Xiamen, Fujian province, according to Fujian provincial government.

The move is part of a series of beneficial policies rolled out by Xiamen in April for Taiwan people who live, work and study in the city.

As a supplement to 31 measures released earlier by the central government, Xiamen's new policies include a total of 60 measures across five major areas.

A total of 23 measures involve economic cooperation, 10 deal with cultural and social exchanges, three with studying or internships in the city, seven working or starting a business and 17 deal with social welfare.

"The public rental house I now live in is equipped with good tables, chairs, beds, water heaters as well as fast internet, which enables me to live happily in the house from the moment I arrived," said Hsu Limin, a Taiwanese resident who lives in Xiamen. "My friends in Taiwan all appreciated the pictures of the house I posted on my WeChat."

With more than 5,000 Taiwan enterprises now, Xiamen aims to provide equal treatment for Taiwan people.

Pingtan in eastern Fujian province is another place that has attracted a lot of people from Taiwan.

In recent years, aiming to encourage young people from Taiwan to work or study in Pingtan, the place has issued a series of supporting policies in the fields of entrepreneurship, financial support, research and development and receiving professionals.

"Plenty of Taiwan people want to start their own business but they are not familiar with the overall business environment in Pingtan. Therefore, they are eager to know more about the place," said Lin Chihyuen, one of five Taiwan people who were awarded as model workers in 2018 in the province.

In the future, Lin said he would write about his experience in Pingtan and share what he saw with Taiwan's young people through his social media network such as Facebook and his micro blog.

In February, officials from the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said the mainland will continue to promote the implementation of 31 preferential policies for Taiwan, which were introduced during the fifth Straits Forum in 2013.

The policy package covers legal rights, education, culture and tourism, and aims at improving the lives of all Taiwan people.

Wu Jiaying, president of the Xiamen Taiwan Association, said that the measures of equal treatment fit the voice of the people of Taiwan at the grassroots level.

According to Wu, the Chinese mainland's main aim is to take the greatest consideration of the close interests of Taiwan and Taiwan people, and to promote peaceful development of cross-Straits relations.

(China Daily 06/06/2018 page12)