BEIJING, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- A series of common opinions on promoting cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation was proposed at a think tank forum co-hosted by research institutes affiliated with the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party, which was held in Beijing on Tuesday.
The 15 opinions covered five aspects of cross-Strait cooperation and exchanges.
The participants at the forum expressed a shared call for the restoration of normal cross-Strait travel, urging the removal of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities' restrictions on personnel exchanges and the full resumption of normal operations of direct sea and air passenger services between the two sides as soon as possible.
Despite restrictions imposed by the DPP authorities over the past year, nearly five million people from the island traveled to the Chinese mainland, observed Yao Ta-kuang, chairman of the Travel Agent Association of Taiwan.
Looking ahead, Yao expressed hope that cross-Strait exchanges could gradually return to systematic and regular patterns, making people-to-people interactions more frequent and contributing to the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.
"We hope to advance cross-Strait exchanges in a practical and rational manner and leverage tourism as a bridge to foster more positive possibilities for future development," said Lai Seh-jen, founding chairperson of the Taiwan Tourism Interchange Association, at the forum.
On strengthening cooperation in emerging industries, the participants proposed joint cross-Strait efforts to develop benchmark projects in "AI plus manufacturing" and to establish an AI innovation hub with global influence.
The Chinese mainland boasts a vast market, a complete industrial chain, and strong policy support, while Taiwan excels in top-notch semiconductor manufacturing and hardware research and development, said Xu Shan, a department director of the Artificial Intelligence Research Institute under the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology.
When combined, these strengths are highly complementary and mutually beneficial, Xu said.
The common opinions also included proposals for cross-Strait cooperation and exchanges in the fields of medical and health care, environmental protection, as well as disaster prevention and mitigation.
The participants called on compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to unite, uphold the 1992 Consensus, oppose "Taiwan independence" separatist activities and external interference, and safeguard peace in the Strait.
The think tank forum, themed "prospects for cross-Strait exchange and cooperation," was attended by over 100 participants from both sides of the Taiwan Strait, including think tank members of the CPC and the KMT, as well as representatives and experts from various fields such as tourism, industry, science and technology, healthcare and environmental protection. Enditem
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