BEIJING, April 12 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland on Sunday rolled out a package of 10 policies and measures -- spanning inter-party communication, infrastructure, travel, trade and culture -- aimed at boosting exchanges and cooperation with Taiwan.

The announcement by the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee followed a meeting on Friday between Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, and Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party, the first such top-level meeting between the two political parties across the Taiwan Strait in a decade.

Invited by the CPC Central Committee and Xi, Cheng led a KMT delegation on a six-day visit to mainland cities including Nanjing, Shanghai and Beijing, which concluded on Sunday.

Atop the 10 initiatives announced by the mainland on Sunday is a proposal to explore a regular communication mechanism between the CPC and the KMT.

The CPC and the KMT will, on the common political foundation of adhering to the 1992 Consensus and opposing "Taiwan independence," take "stronger measures" to promote cross-Strait exchanges, interaction and integration, the CPC's Taiwan work office said in a statement.

The Taiwan question is a scar left over by a full-blown civil war fought between the forces led by the CPC and the KMT about eight decades ago. In 1949, the remnants of the defeated KMT retreated to Taiwan, and the People's Republic of China was founded under the leadership of the CPC.

The unresolved civil war and foreign interference have left the two sides of the Strait in a prolonged state of political confrontation. However, the fact that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory has never changed.

The latest policies and measures, according to the statement, aim to advance the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and enhance the kinship and well-being of compatriots across the Strait.

The policy package demonstrates the mainland's sincerity, goodwill and firm resolve in promoting the peaceful and integrated development of cross-Strait relations, said Wang Yingjin, director of the cross-Strait relations research center of the Renmin University of China. "The measures will inject fresh momentum into efforts to sustain the steady improvement of cross-Strait relations."

INFRASTRUCTURE, TRAVEL, TRADE

According to the statement, efforts will be made to support the coastal areas of Fujian Province -- the mainland region closest to Taiwan -- in sharing water, electricity and gas supplies with the offshore islands of Kinmen and Matsu, and to promote construction of sea-crossing bridges linking them, when conditions permit.

The mainland will also move to resume regular direct passenger flights across the Strait, including routes to and from Urumqi, Xi'an, Harbin, Kunming and Lanzhou.

Kinmen will be supported to use a new airport under construction in the nearby mainland city of Xiamen, expected to begin operations by the end of 2026.

Lee Chou-hsi, a Tsinghua University graduate student from Taiwan, welcomed the new measures. "During my undergraduate study in Changsha, I had to transfer flights to and from Taiwan, which was very inconvenient at the time," said Lee. "More direct flights between mainland cities and Taiwan will surely benefit students and tourists."

A communication mechanism will be set up on the common political foundation of adhering to the 1992 Consensus and opposing "Taiwan independence" to facilitate the entry of Taiwan's agricultural and fishery products that meet the quarantine standards into the mainland.

Efforts will also be made to help Taiwan's agricultural and fishery products gain access to various mainland trade fairs to expand their sales channels.

The mainland will explore building wharves and berths in regions where conditions permit for distant-water fishing vessels from the Taiwan region, and mull providing convenience for the sales of their fish catch on the mainland.

It will also facilitate registration procedures for qualified Taiwan food manufacturers and the entry of their food products into the mainland market.

The mainland will explore the establishment of more trading markets for small-ticket items with Taiwan and support micro, small and medium-sized enterprises from Taiwan to expand business on the mainland.

Mainland cities such as Fuzhou and Xiamen have long established such markets, allowing small businesses from Taiwan to directly sell specialty commodities to mainland buyers.

Wu Chia-ying, executive vice president of the Association of Taiwan Investment Enterprises on the Mainland, said that the measures respond to the practical needs of business development such as reducing operating costs and improving access to the mainland market.

"We hope these measures will be implemented as soon as possible," Wu said, adding that the association will play a bridging role to help Taiwan businesses better seize opportunities and participate in the country's modernization drive, contributing to a stronger Chinese economy.

YOUTH, CULTURE

The statement said that an institutionalized platform will be set up to promote two-way exchanges between young people on both sides of the Strait. The All-China Youth Federation and other relevant mainland institutions will invite 20 youth groups from Taiwan to visit the mainland for exchanges every year.

Fan Chiang-feng, a young Taiwan entrepreneur based on the mainland, said that the establishment of a regular platform for young people on both sides of the Strait would help break down information barriers. "Our generation on both sides of the Strait should move forward together," he said.

To boost cultural ties, the mainland will allow qualified TV shows, documentaries and animations from Taiwan to be aired, and permit Taiwan residents to take part in the mainland's fast-growing micro-drama industry.

Working in youth services in Xiamen, Wu Ping-chang from Taiwan was encouraged by the policies. "With more opportunities and confidence, I hope to take cross-Strait stories into the drama production in the future, enabling audiences on both sides to see more authentic and warm exchanges," Wu said.

The statement also noted that the mainland will promote the resumption of individual tours for Shanghai and Fujian residents to Taiwan.

A pilot scheme allowing mainland individuals to tour Taiwan was introduced in 2011, but was suspended in 2019 -- a few years after the secessionist Democratic Progressive Party came to power in Taiwan and stepped up plots to seek "Taiwan independence."

Sheng Jiuyuan, director of the center for Taiwan studies at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, told Xinhua that the cumulative effect of these measures may reshape the pattern of cross-Strait exchanges.

"The two-way integration across the Strait, grounded in tangible improvements to people's livelihoods, will lay a broad and durable foundation of public support and foster profound mutual trust," Sheng said.  ■