Thousands of cross-strait business leaders have traveled to Weifang, Shandong province to attend the three-day 15th Shandong-Taiwan Trade Fair, the oldest and largest cross-strait economic and cultural exchange fair in northern China.

The fair focuses on hi-tech industry cooperation across the strait and is a platform for economic and cultural exchanges, said Jiang Daming, Governor of Shandong province. “In recent years, Shandong province and Taiwan continue to strengthen exchanges and cooperation, along with Taiwan investment gradually shifting from traditional industries to hi-tech industries. The fair will give a dramatic boost to economic and trade cooperation across the strait.”

A series of activities will be held at the fair, including seminars on cross-strait photo-electronic industry cooperation, cross-strait new energy industry cooperation and cross-strait agricultural cooperation, as well as an expo on manufacturing industries across the strait.

Over 1,300 merchants will attend the fair, including 785 foreign and 575 Taiwanese business people, according to Weifang city mayor Zhang Xinqi. Exchanges with Taiwan in the fields of new energy, new light sources and new materials will also be highlighted at the fair, with more than 80 per cent of participants expressing a clear intention to invest and cooperate in the fields of new energy as well as high-end industries.

Statistics from the Shandong Commerce Department show Taiwan-funded enterprises in Shandong province have continued to develop strongly as before in the first half of the year. By the end of June, 41 Taiwan-funded businesses were registered, with a total investment of 190 million USD, an increase of 71.17 per cent year-on-year. To date, Shandong province is home to a total of 1,187 Taiwan-funded enterprises, with a total investment of 3.076 billion—1.637 billion from Taiwanese businesses.

Editor Li Jing

By Wang Qian (China Daily Shandong Bureau)