Sanya hosts summit to benefit Hainan-Taiwan cooperation

Sanya hosts a special summit on Nov 2 to deepen cross-Straits cooperation and contribute to the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port. [Photo/hinews.cn]

Nearly 300 businesspeople from both sides of the Taiwan Straits took part in a special summit on Nov 2 in Sanya to deepen cross-Straits cooperation and contribute to the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP).

Due to its geographic proximity, Hainan and Taiwan shares similar climate and culture. For more than 30 years, the two places have maintained exchanges and cooperation in various fields, such as economy, agriculture, culture, medical care, education, and tourism, achieving mutually beneficial results.

Taiwan entrepreneurs and enterprises have been optimistic about participating in the construction of the Hainan FTP. From January to September this year, 43 new Taiwan-funded enterprises settled in Hainan, with the newly added projects being mainly in the fields of wholesale and retail, leasing and business services, scientific research, as well as technical services. In the first three quarters of this year, the total import and export volume of goods between the two islands stood at 749 million yuan ($112 million), a year-on-year increase of 52.7 percent.

Li Zhenghong, head of the Association of Taiwan Investment Enterprises on the Mainland, said the economy in the Chinese mainland has huge development potential and market advantages. In addition, China has introduced a series of policies and measures to protect market entities and thus benefited Taiwan businesspeople. Li added that his association is willing to deepen economic and trade exchanges and cooperation between Hainan and Taiwan, as well as make new contributions to promoting the development of cross-Straits economic and social integration.