Mainland to host 14th Straits Forum in July

BEIJING -- The 14th Straits Forum will be held in the coastal city of Xiamen in Fujian province in mid July, a Chinese mainland spokesperson announced Wednesday.

This year's forum will carry on the theme of promoting people-to-people exchanges and deepening integrated development across the Taiwan Straits, said Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, at a press conference.

The event is expected to facilitate deepened exchanges and closer bonds between people on both sides of the Straits, Ma noted.