Youth key to advancing peaceful cross-Strait ties

Youth on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are expected to play a leading role in advancing the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, with expanded exchanges fostering mutual understanding and driving innovation, attendees of a youth summit in Beijing said on Thursday.

Yin Li, secretary of the Communist Party of China Beijing Municipal Committee, said the cross-Strait youth summit provides a platform for young people from both sides of the Taiwan Strait to engage in exchanges, deepen mutual understanding and strengthen ties. He called on them to contribute jointly to integrated cross-Strait development.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2026 cross-Strait youth summit, which attracted thousands of participants from both sides of the Strait, Yin said young people are forging new paths for cooperation and expanding exchanges into broader fields.

The summit has grown steadily in scale since its establishment eight years ago, attracting tens of thousands of young people from Taiwan and yielding fruitful results in cross-Strait exchanges, he said.

Song Tao, head of both the Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, called on young people across the Taiwan Strait to work together to safeguard the common homeland of the Chinese nation. He added that the mainland has continued to improve policy measures aimed at creating better conditions for young people from Taiwan to pursue development opportunities on the mainland.

The event features a wide range of activities, including street dance exchanges, dragon boat competitions and technology forums in Beijing.

Chang Jung-kung, vice-chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang, told attendees at the opening ceremony that young people across the Taiwan Strait, who share common cultural roots, represent a critical hope for cross-Strait peace.

"Youth on both sides of the Taiwan Strait today are the best educated in the history of the Chinese nation, possess the broadest understanding of the world, and demonstrate the greatest vitality and creativity," Chang said, adding that the younger generation bears an even greater responsibility to jointly promote peace across the Taiwan Strait.

He said the KMT is willing to work with people from all sectors to promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations based on adherence to the 1992 Consensus and opposition to "Taiwan independence".

Lien Sheng-wu, executive president of the Taiwan cross-Strait peaceful development foundation, described young people as "the most dynamic, the most creative, and the most promising force in cross-Strait relations".

Highlighting the deepening of youth exchanges across the Strait, Lien said firsthand experiences can help young people overcome misconceptions and realize that many perceived distances and barriers are not as great as they seem.

In April, the mainland introduced a package of 10 policy measures, including one establishing a two-way youth exchange mechanism between Taiwan and the mainland. In line with the initiative, numerous youth delegations from Taiwan have visited the mainland and participated in exchange activities.

A Dong, first secretary of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China, said the outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) includes a dedicated section on supporting youth development, providing broad opportunities for young people across the Taiwan Strait to develop their talents and pursue their careers.

He said a growing number of young people from Taiwan have chosen to work, invest and start businesses on the mainland.

"The countercurrent stirred up by a small group of people cannot stop the mutual, two-way engagement of young people across the Taiwan Strait coming together across the sea," he said.

lishangyi@chinadaily.com.cn