The 2017 session of the Zijinshan Summit for Entrepreneurs across the Taiwan Strait kicked off in Nanjing on Monday. Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference delivered a speech at the opening ceremony.
During his speech, Yu Zhengsheng called on entrepreneurs from both the mainland and Taiwan to contribute to advancing cross-Strait relations and opposing "Taiwan independence."
Yu said since its inception, the Zijinshan Summit for Entrepreneurs across the Taiwan Strait has been playing an active role in rejuvenating the national economy and improving the well-being of the compatriots on both sides.
This year's cross-strait entrepreneur summit is the first major exchange between entrepreneurs from the two sides after the successful conclusion of the 19th CPC National Congress and also an important event on occasion of the 30th anniversary of the start of cross-Strait exchanges, Yu added.
Lou Qinjian, CPC provincial secretary of Jiangsu, said the Zijinshan Summit for Entrepreneurs across the Taiwan Strait has become an authoritative, open and pragmatic platform for the exchange and cooperation of the business and economic circles across the straits.
We will fully implement the requirements made by General Secretary Xi Jinping by making active integration and active service in cross-strait economic and cultural exchanges and cooperation, the CPC chief said.
This year’s summit is the 9th session since its inception in 2008. Since 2008, the Zijinshan Summit for Entrepreneurs across the Taiwan Strait has witnessed the establishment of the Cross-strait Entrepreneur Summit Community and become the most influential cross-strait business exchanges platform by continuously promoting cross-strait economic and trade cooperation and exchanges.
Relying on the summit as the platform, Jiangsu has signed more than 70 cooperation agreements and projects with Taiwan, covering electronic information, cultural creativity, medical equipment, bio-pharmacy, elderly care, smart city, energy conservation and environmental protection and many other fields.
Under the impetus of the summit, a large number of platforms for cooperation between Jiangsu and Taiwan have been established with cross-strait SME cooperation zone established in Nanjing, Suzhou, Kunshan and Nantong through the backup of a large number of policy innovation, which has in turn supported the growth of the enterprises settled in the zones.
Over the past years, Jiangsu has been making headway in the attraction of Taiwanese investment. Huai’an Imaging Device Manufacturer Corporation, one of the major investment projects in Jiangsu, is scheduled for operation in the coming days. The 45-billion-yuan Taiwanese-funded project will boast an annual output of 240,000 12-inch wafers to become the largest semiconductor project in the province. The establishment of Huai’an Imaging Device Manufacturer Corporation is one of the successful examples of cooperation between Jiangsu and Taiwan in recent years.
Supported by the advantages of rich resources of science and education, geographical affinity and other factors, the cooperation between Jiangsu and Taiwan has been enhanced through the steady progress of the Zijinshan Summit for Entrepreneurs across the Taiwan Strait.
Up to now, Jiangsu has registered 26000 Taiwanese-funded projects with the investment totaling more than 72.9 billion U.S. dollars. The province’s use of Taiwanese-funded investment has accounted for one third of the entire Taiwanese capital in the Chinese mainland.
The trade volume between Jiangsu and Taiwan has made up one fifth of the nation’s total volume of the cross-strait trade. These figures have made Jiangsu one of the regions in the Chinese mainland featuring most active Taiwanese investment and most frequent cross-strait economic and trade exchanges.
[voice over]The Zijinshan Summit was first held in 2008. In 2013, the mainland and Taiwan each set up councils dedicated to the platform for business exchange and cooperation.
