A view of the Taiwan Straits is seen from Xiamen port in East China's Fujian Province. Photo: IC

As a delegation led by Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party, wrapped up its six-day visit to the Chinese mainland and departed Beijing for Taiwan on Sunday, Teng Tai-Hsien, secretary-general of the Straits Economic & Cultural Interchange Association, has called for further strengthened cross-Straits cooperation, which is particularly important for Taiwan businesses.

Notably, authorities on the Chinese mainland have put forward a package of 10 policies and measures to boost exchanges and cooperation across the Taiwan Straits. The Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee unveiled the package on Sunday, saying it aims to advance the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations and enhance the kinship and well-being of compatriots across the Straits, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

The announcement came as the KMT delegation was wrapping up its mainland visit from Tuesday to Sunday, Xinhua reported.

In an exclusive interview with the Global Times on Sunday, Teng said that the visit, which marks the first in a decade of a KMT delegation led by its chairperson to the mainland, carried positive significance for resuming inter-party dialogue, promoting the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations, and helping address key issues facing cross-Straits exchanges.

At present, people-to-people exchanges and economic interactions across the Straits are facing significant disruption from "Taiwan independence" forces and external factors, said Teng.

In recent years, the Democratic Progressive Party authorities have forcibly pushed for "decoupling and breaking supply chains" across the Straits, driving the Taiwan region toward declining livelihoods and diminished security. According to Teng, such "decoupling" strips away Taiwan's development opportunities, while these "breaks" cut off the livelihood prospects of many residents in Taiwan.

Given these backdrops, Teng said that cross-Straits cooperation should be further strengthened, which is particularly important for the development of Taiwan-funded enterprises. The Belt and Road Initiative, which continues to expand international markets, and the steady expansion of demand in the mainland's market provide broad development space for enterprises from Taiwan, Teng noted. 

Meanwhile, this year marks the first year of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), which outlines the mainland's development blueprint for the next five years and also charts important directions and opportunities for investors from Taiwan, Teng noted, naming several booming sectors such as artificial intelligence, industrial upgrading and transformation, electric vehicles, robotics, drones, lithium batteries, smart agriculture, and green energy.

"Businesses from Taiwan should align with the development direction of the mainland, seize opportunities from industrial upgrading, and share in policy dividends, with broad prospects for future development," said Teng.

The KMT delegation's visit to the mainland reflects widespread expectations and is conducive to cross-Straits economic and trade cooperation and exchanges, Lai Cheng-i, honorary chairman of the General Chamber of Commerce of Taiwan, told the Global Times.

Amid increasing global uncertainty, the mainland's large market and sustained growth momentum offer significant opportunities for Taiwan businesses, said Lai.