Yu Weiguo, Party secretary of Fujian province, delivers a speech at the conference. [Photo by Hu Meidong/chinadaily.com.cn]

"Compatriots from Fujian and Taiwan speak the same language and are brothers and sisters; we share a bond of kinship," said Yu Weiguo, Party secretary of Fujian province, at the 12th Straits Forum held in the coastal city of Xiamen in East China's Fujian province on Sept 20.

Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, this year's event was postponed, but that can't and won't stop exchange and cooperation between Fujian and Taiwan, according to Yu.

Fujian has responded effectively to COVID-19, and no new locally transmitted, confirmed or asymptomatic cases have been reported in the province for 206 days. The province tried its best to help Taiwan enterprises and compatriots in the fight against the epidemic, with no Taiwan people living in Fujian having been infected.

Fujian is at the forefront of efforts to develop alongside Taiwan, and its GDP reached 4.23 trillion yuan ($592.9 billion) in 2019. Fujian is brimming with energy and has become a hotspot for entrepreneurship and innovation, said Yu.

"We have more development opportunities and jobs. We'd like to share this with our Taiwan compatriots," noted Yu.

In recent years, Fujian has unveiled preferential policies known as the "66 measures" and "42 measures" to provide Taiwan residents living on the mainland the same treatment as local citizens.

Taiwan residents can now enjoy the same benefits as Fujian residents in various aspects such as medical insurance and education for their children. More and more young people from Taiwan are now working or starting businesses in Fujian, said Yu.

The 12th Straits Forum, the largest platform for people-to-people exchange between Fujian and Taiwan, kicks off in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province, on Sept 19. [Photo by Hu Meidong/chinadaily.com.cn]