Taiwan business people are the backbone of cross-Straits relations and they've contributed a lot to Jilin's economic revival, said Bayinchaolu, Party secretary of Jilin province at Jilin-Taiwan trade forum in the city of Changchun, on June 5.

Taiwan-Jilin trade forum opens in Changchun, Jilin province, on June 5, as part of a "Taiwan businessmen's visit to Jilin" program. [Photo by Song Kai/chinajilin.com.cn]

The forum has pulled in 600 politicians and entrepreneurs from the mainland and the island, as part of the larger "Taiwan entrepreneurs' trip to Jilin" program and is expected to encourage more Taiwan business people to invest in there.

Bayinchaolu said, "We'll offer them a sound investment environment and better services in setting up companies here," while the head of the Taiwan delegation and former chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation, Chiang Pin-kung, replied that Jilin has great business potential because of its ecology and environment, solid industrial base, and strong research capacity.

The Taiwan visitors also signed 48 agreements worth 15.8 billion yuan, covering tourism, food processing and agriculture, about which Chiang Commented, "Jilin's rich tourism resources mean good opportunities for Taiwan business people who are looking for industrial changes and it's an ideal place for us to develop modern agriculture, since it's a big corn and grain producer."