TAIPEI, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party leader Cheng Li-wun's six-day visit to the mainland has yielded fruitful results, said observers in Taiwan, noting it has had positive effects on cross-Strait relations and multiple industries on the island.
Cheng and her delegation returned to Taiwan on Sunday after concluding the visit. It was the first visit in a decade by a KMT delegation led by its chairperson to the mainland.
Yang Kai-huang, a scholar from the Taiwan-based Ming Chuan University, said the interaction between the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the KMT, on the basis of adhering to the 1992 Consensus and opposing "Taiwan independence," has created the possibility for broader inter-party exchanges across the Strait in the future.
The delegation had a tight itinerary covering Jiangsu Province, Shanghai and Beijing, where members visited sites including the mausoleum of Sun Yat-sen, a founding figure of the KMT, Yangshan Port, a major global shipping hub, and a Xiaomi auto factory.
Teng Tai-hsien, secretary general of the Straits Economic & Cultural Interchange Association, said the KMT delegation's visit to several economic establishments showcased mainland development to people in Taiwan and highlighted broad opportunities for cross-Strait industrial cooperation.
On Sunday, the Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee unveiled a package of 10 policies and measures to boost exchanges and cooperation across the Taiwan Strait.
The measures include promoting the full resumption of regular direct passenger flights across the Taiwan Strait, promoting the resumption of individual travel to Taiwan for residents of Shanghai and Fujian, and facilitating the entry of food products from qualified Taiwan manufacturers into the mainland market.
Upon her arrival in Taipei on Sunday, Cheng said she hoped people in Taiwan would see the benefits of peaceful development across the Strait.
You Chih-pin, deputy secretary general of Taiwan's New Party, said the favorable package of policies and measures announced by the mainland would create better job opportunities for young people in Taiwan, and also benefit the development of the island's agricultural, fishery and tourism industries.
Tourism industry insiders are particularly encouraged by the prospect of resuming individual tours from the mainland to Taiwan. The island's tourism sector was largely supported by mainland visitors from 2011, when a pilot scheme allowing individual travel to Taiwan was introduced, until 2019, when the program was suspended amid worsening cross-Strait relations under the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
"The policy reflects a more proactive goodwill from the mainland and will bring new opportunities for the tourism industry in Taiwan," said Ringo Lee, chairman of the High Quality of Travel Association in Taiwan.
He added that the DPP authorities should prioritize the economy and people's livelihoods, and respond to calls from industries and the public.
Tang Yu-shu, former director of the tourism department at the government of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan, also welcomed the policy package.
"We look forward to the implementation of these favorable policies," said Tang, urging Taiwan's DPP not to create obstacles. ■
