Ma Ying-jeou File photo:VCG

Former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang party Ma Ying-jeou embarked on his fourth visit to the Chinese mainland since leaving office, leading a group of young visitors from the island of Taiwan to Fujian and Gansu provinces from June 14 to 27, Cankaoxiaoxi, a newspaper under the Xinhua News Agency, reported on Saturday, citing Taiwan media.

"It [the visit] is not only about deepening our understanding of the local history and industrial development of Fujian Province, but also about promoting closer people-to-people exchanges across the Straits through face-to-face interaction," Ma said before entering the immigration area at Taoyuan International Airport at around 9 am Saturday to embark on his trip, Taiwan regional media outlet CNA reported on Saturday.

"We hope this exchange will encourage more young people from Taiwan to visit the mainland, and likewise welcome young people from the mainland to visit Taiwan, so they can learn from each other through mutual interaction," said Ma.

"I believe this will definitely be helpful for the development of cross-Straits peace," the 74-year-old added, adding that his first stop will be the city of Xiamen in Fujian Province.

Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, announced  on Wednesday that Ma would lead a delegation of young visitors from the island of Taiwan to Fujian and Gansu from June 14 to 27. They will attend the 17th Straits Forum and other cross-Straits cultural exchange activities and events. 

We welcome Ma and his delegation and will make proper arrangements for the planned activities, Zhu said.

Zhu noted that the Straits Forum is a cross-Straits exchange event that is widely welcomed by people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits. The 17th edition will open on June 15 in Xiamen, Fujian Province, with the main venue in Xiamen and related events taking place in other Fujian cities and the  Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Zone.

More than 7,000 participants from Taiwan island — including representatives of political parties, trade unions, youth organizations, women's groups, grassroots religious and folk organizations, agriculture, fisheries, water resources, cultural tourism, healthcare, business, and finance — are expected to attend, according to the spokesperson.

Global Times