Skyline of historical neighborhood of Quanzhou. [Photo by Chen Yingjie/for chinadaily.com.cn]

Quanzhou, one of the main ancestral homes of Taiwan compatriots, has been exploring new ways to enhance cross-Straits integrated development over the past five years, said Wang Yongli, secretary of the CPC Quanzhou Municipal Committee, at the 13th CPC Quanzhou Congress that concluded on Oct 11.

As of the end of September, Quanzhou had supplied 15.22 million tons of water to the island of Kinmen in Taiwan for more than three years, alleviating the water shortage that Kinmen had faced for a long time.

As part of the efforts to promote cross-Straits integrated development, Kinmen water supply project boasts a number of innovative cooperation mechanisms, setting an example for other projects.

Quanzhou has implemented supportive policies that grant Taiwan residents and companies the same treatment in terms of living, working and studying as those on the mainland.

Meanwhile, to encourage cultural and people-to-people exchanges, Quanzhou has hosted a raft of activities such as innovation and entrepreneurship workshops, a competition for college students and art programs.

To date, a total of 85 Taiwan-funded enterprises have set up offices in the Quanzhou Taiwanese Investment Zone.

"Since we started building Yihe Hospital in Quanzhou in 2016, Taiwan staff and I have felt the warmth of the local people," said Ch'iu Chün-chieh, executive director of health management center of Quanzhou Yihe hospital.

In 2018, Quanzhou took the lead in establishing a federation of trade unions of Taiwan funded enterprises in the State-level Quanzhou Taiwanese Investment Zone. Qiu Junjie is the chairman of the zone.

"This means that Taiwan enterprises and employees now have their own 'home' in the zone. The zone also fosters exchanges between employees from both sides of the Straits, and even promotes cross-Straits marriages," added Ch'iu. "Many Taiwan employees are willing to buy a house and settle down in Quanzhou."

More efforts will be made to bolster the construction of the cross-Straits integrated circuit industry cooperation pilot zone and deepen bilateral cooperation in fields such as semiconductor, fine chemical industry and medical inspection.

"I hope Quanzhou, a city full of development vitality, can attract more and more young Taiwan compatriots," said Ch'iu.