Mainland's Taiwan affairs chief meets Kaohsiung mayor in Shenzhen

Head of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, Liu Jieyi met with Han Kuo-yu, the mayor of Kaohsiung in Shenzhen Monday.

Liu Jieyi, head of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office. [File photo: VCG]

During the meeting with Han, Liu noted that the mainland welcomes and underpins the collaboration and communication between cities across the Taiwan straits on the basis of the "1992 consensus" and will bring more benefits to the Taiwan compatriots.

Liu said the mainland will continue to share opportunities of development with the people in Taiwan in the first place and bolster the integrative development of mainland and Taiwan and make great efforts to achieve the Cross-straits "direct links".

Liu emphasized that people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits need to unite against "Taiwan independence" and work together to promote cross-straits ties in the right direction and create a bright future of a rejuvenated Chinese nation.

Han Kuo-yu agreed that the 1992 consensus is crucial for the relations between mainland and Taiwan and hoped that Kaohsiung and mainland cities will enhance exchanges and carry out cooperation among various domains including trade and economy, which will benefit the residents from both sides.

Han Kuo-yu, the mayor of Kaohsiung. [File photo: VCG]

Before arriving in the innovation hub of Shenzhen on Sunday afternoon, Han visited the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Macao Special Administrative Region, where he signed deals worth more than 100 million U.S. dollars with the two cities.

He will later travel to Xiamen in Fujian Province.

Han, who is a Kuomintang Party member, won Kaohsiung mayoral election in November last year.