1. ARATS president visits Yantai

Chen Deming, president of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), headed a delegation of five people and paid a visit to Yantai from Oct 8 to 9, 2014, accompanied by Xia Geng, vice-governor of Shandong province, and Zhang Xueyan, chief of the Taiwan Affairs Office of Shandong.

2. Shandong founds fishery base for cross-Straits cooperation

A fishery demonstration base for cross-Straits cooperation opened in Penglai, Yantai city on Sept 21. The base aimed to take advantage of Shandong’s fishery resources and promote fishery cooperation with Taiwan. The base is a cooperation between Shandong Huiyang Group and Taiwan and approved by the provincial department of oceans and fishery and the Taiwan Affairs Office of Shandong.

3. Yantai-Taiwan economic cooperation enjoys smooth development

By the end of 2014, Yantai had approved 1,571 Taiwan-invested projects and utilized $5.48 billion in investment from Taiwan. Up to 1,059 Taiwan-invested companies have settled in Yantai.

4. Individual Taiwan tourism opens to Yantai

The residents of Yantai were given official permission to apply to travel to Taiwan as individual travelers under a cross-Straits agreement on Aug 18. The number of local individual tourists to Taiwan had reached 3,240 by mid December.

5. China Airlines opens Yantai-Taipei air route

Taiwan's China Airlines have announced the opening of two flights between Yantai and Taipei since July 3. With the newly-added flights operating on Monday and Thursday, the total number of round-trip flights reaches nine.

6. Yantai hosts symposium on famous ancient buildings

The government-run magazine Relations across the Taiwan Straits and the Association for Yellow River Cultural Exchange across the Taiwan Straits jointly hosted a symposium on famous ancient Chinese buildings in Yantai in September. More than 120 experts and scholars from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan attended the event. They discussed historical and cultural significance of ancient buildings and their role in promoting the social and economic development across Taiwan Straits.

7. Cross-Straits exchange on Mazu Culture expands

A delegation of four people from Mazu Temple in Changdao county, Yantai, took part in the Mazu International Festival in Taichung, Taiwan, in April 2014. A delegation of directors of five Mazu temples from Taiwan, headed by Tsai Fu-hsiung, vice-president of Taiwan's Chaotian Temple, attended the Mazu cultural activities in Yantai in June.

8. Yantai government solves problems for Taiwan enterprises

The Taiwan Affairs Office of Yantai paid visits to local Taiwan-invested enterprises in the first quarter of 2014. The office aimed to offer favorable governmental policies to them and lend a hand to solve their problems.

9. Taiwan media cover Yantai

Taiwan-based United Daily News gave Yantai two-page coverage on “Yantai, Well-Known Harbor City in the North Mainland” and “Yantai, a Pearl on the Bohai Sea Economic Rim”. Taiwan TV media CTV and CTI also broadcast documentaries on the economic development, urban construction, natural landscape, culture and customs of the city.

10. Yantai's Taiwan enterprises make list of top 100 in Shandong

Yantai boasted nine enterprises, including Foxconn and Walsin, both made the top 100 Taiwan enterprises list in Shandong in 2014.