BEIJING: People from Taiwan have said that the congratulatory letter from Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese president, has boosted their confidence in the integrated and peaceful development of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.
In the congratulatory letter sent on Saturday to the 15th Straits Forum, Xi called for joint efforts of compatriots across the Strait to promote Chinese culture and forge closer bonds. The forum opened in Xiamen, Fujian province, on Friday. Calling the forum an important platform for people on both sides of the Strait to broadly engage in exchanges and promote cooperation, Xi expressed in the letter his hope that the forum will constantly inject vitality into people-to-people exchanges and integrated development across the Strait. “We will continue to respect, care for and deliver benefits to the Taiwan compatriots, promote cross-Strait economic and cultural exchanges and cooperation, and advance cross-Strait integrated development in various fields,” Xi said. He called on people from both sides of the Strait to work together to keep pace with the trends of history, safeguard the overall interests of the Chinese nation and contribute to the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and the cause of national reunification. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
