Mainland willing to create all conditions to support cross-Strait youth exchanges: spokesperson

The Chinese mainland is happy to see and support more exchanges between young people across the Taiwan Strait, and is willing to create any sort of conditions for that purpose, a spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Furthering exchanges between the young people from both sides of the Taiwan Strait can instill vitality and vigor into the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, said Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, at a press conference.

The mainland will provide services and platforms for young people from Taiwan in terms of their internships, employment and entrepreneurship on the mainland, help them take part in the peaceful and integrated development of cross-Strait relations, and share with them the opportunities arising from the mainland's high-quality development, Zhu said.

As COVID-19 prevention and control on the mainland has entered a new phase, the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office will encourage various localities and departments to provide job internships this summer for young people from Taiwan and host exchange events featuring internship, employment and business start-ups, based on their needs, the spokesperson added.

However, Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities have been keeping Taiwan schools at different levels from exchanging with mainland schools, and restricting mainland personnel from going to Taiwan for exchanges, which is the biggest obstacle to the exchanges between young people across the Strait, Zhu said.

Such restrictions from the DPP authorities are unreasonable and inappropriate, and should be immediately rescinded, she said.

The mainland has been actively working on the resumption of normal personnel exchanges and regular cooperation in various areas between the two sides of the Strait, which is the common aspiration of compatriots from the two sides, Zhu said.