Cross-Strait youth exchanges pave the way for a brighter future, says national political adviser

Frequent exchanges and closer interaction between young people from Taiwan and the mainland will help create a brighter future, said Xu Kewei, president of the Guangdong provincial federation of Taiwan compatriots.

Xu, a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said ahead of the closing meeting of the fourth session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee in Beijing on Wednesday that peace and development are the shared aspirations of people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

A third-generation Taiwan compatriot who has settled on the mainland, Xu is also a surgeon and often travels to different provinces for surgeries, consultations and lectures. Through his work, he has met many young people from Taiwan who have come to the mainland to study, start businesses and pursue their careers.

"Over the years, I have seen young people from Taiwan blend tastes from both sides of the Strait through a cup of milk tea and build successful chain brands," Xu said. "Some have also applied artificial intelligence to traditional manufacturing, turning their enterprises into dark horses in their industries."

Some young people from Taiwan on the mainland are also exploring new ways to pass on cultural heritage through the shared resonance of Gezai opera, he added.

Last year, nearly 4.9 million trips were made to the mainland by Taiwan residents, with young people accounting for more than one-third of the total.

"Let us move from being one family across the Strait to truly living as one family, and work together to create a better future," Xu said.