The 17th Straits Forum will hold a conference on the 15th, and the Fujian provincial government of China announced the forum's related details at a press conference on the morning of the 14th.
This press conference was held at the Xiamen International Conference Center, attended by Chen Zhiyong, Deputy Director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of Fujian Province, Ke Yida, Deputy Director of the Fujian Provincial News Office, and Zhuang Rongliang, Vice Mayor of Xiamen City.
Chen Zhiyong said that the Straits Forum has weathered many years. "Regardless of how the situation in the Taiwan Strait changes, we remain committed to our original intentions, continuing to promote civil exchanges across the strait and deepening integration in various fields across the strait."
He stated that this year's forum continues the theme of previous years of "expanding civil exchanges and deepening integration and development," hosting main forum activities and 56 activities in four major sections: grassroots exchanges, youth exchanges, cultural exchanges, and economic exchanges. The forum conference will be held at 10 am on the 15th at the Xiamen Conference Center.
The Taiwan Government Tightens Supervision of Officials Attending
It is reported that in the context of the Taiwan government's tightened policy stance on the Straits Forum, this year, for the first time, no county mayors or deputy county heads will be attending; however, former President Ma Ying-jeou will be attending for the first time.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) of Taiwan stated earlier that the forum serves as Beijing's platform for united front tactics towards Taiwan, and besides continuing to prohibit central government personnel from participating, this year further tightens supervision over local government officials, shifting from "not encouraged" to "not suggested" attendance.
Ma Ying-jeou: Hopes to Ease Cross-strait Tensions through Interaction
Ma Ying-jeou visited the mainland on the 14th, with his first stop in Fujian to attend the Straits Forum in Xiamen. In the morning, Ma Ying-jeou delivered a statement at the airport, mentioning that this is his fourth visit to mainland China, and he hopes through face-to-face interaction to ease the current cross-strait tensions and promote deeper civic exchanges and interactions across the strait.
Ma Ying-jeou mentioned that everyone understands that the youth of both sides of the strait are the hope for the future. He hopes that through exchanges, more Taiwanese youth will be encouraged to visit the mainland and more mainland youth will be welcomed to Taiwan to learn from each other and interact with each other. This will certainly be beneficial for cross-strait peace, and it is a goal that the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation has consistently and tirelessly pursued.