The local chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), for the city of Xiamen, Fujian province has proposed that the city develop a pilot project for an integrated information zone, in cooperation with Taiwan.

Chen Xiumao made the suggestion during the NPC & CPPCC 2014, where he noted that Taiwan's small-to-mid-sized enterprises have been the major force behind Taiwan's manufacturing developments on the mainland, with their advanced technology and scientific know-how, and that emerging industries in Taiwan are looking to free themselves from excessive dependence on the United States and Japan and have started making use of the mainland’s markets, which can be assisted by information integration.

A pilot zone, Chen went on to say, could help establish information industry's systems and mechanisms, and a cloud-computing demonstration site and a culture-innovation demonstration site connecting Xiamen and Taiwan. This would in turn bring innovative information exchanges, outsourcing business, and cooperation in software development and communications.

Chen says he hopes the National Development and Reform Commission can support Xiamen in constructing this cross-Straits pilot site by lowering the threshold for Internet enterprises, making use of e-business licenses, expanding private capital in mobile communications, and welcoming private capital from Taiwan for telecoms operations.

He also suggested that the Civil Affairs Ministry set up an association to promote information industry development connection Taiwan and the mainland, and that the State Council’s Taiwan Affairs Office come up with appropriate policies for more convenient exchanges.

By Yang Jie from China Daily Fujian bureau, and Zhao Qian

Edited by Roger Bradshaw