Supportive measures unveiled for Taiwan-funded enterprises development in agriculture, forestry on mainland

People wearing masks walk on the street in south China's Hong Kong, March 1, 2021. (Photo by Lo Ping Fai/Xinhua)

BEIJING, March 17 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland on Wednesday rolled out measures to support the development of compatriots and enterprises from Taiwan in agriculture and forestry on the mainland.

Effective from the day of their promulgation, the supportive measures cover a variety of aspects concerning the development of compatriots and enterprises from Taiwan in the two sectors, including the use of agricultural and forest land, financing and funding support, investment and business operation, research and development, innovation, and local market exploration.

They will aim to further provide equal treatment to compatriots and enterprises from Taiwan, support their participation in the high-quality development of agriculture and forestry on the mainland, and promote rural vitalization.

Known as "22 measures on agriculture and forestry," a document detailing the supportive policies was jointly unveiled by the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the State Forestry and Grassland Administration, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Water Resources, the Ministry of Commerce, the People's Bank of China, the State Administration for Market Regulation, and the All China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives.

It came amid efforts to promote the implementation of the mainland's 14th Five-Year Plan for development, and improve systems and policies to better protect the wellbeing of Taiwan compatriots and ensure that they receive the same treatment on the mainland.

The measures are expected to further promote exchanges, cooperation and integrated development across the Taiwan Strait, and facilitate compatriots on both sides of the Strait to enjoy a better life.

The "22 measures on agriculture and forestry" are consistent with the "31 measures" and "26 measures" that the mainland rolled out in 2018 and 2019, respectively, to promote cross-Strait economic and cultural exchanges and cooperation, said Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, at a press conference on Wednesday.

Zhu added that the new measures, based on the new stage of development, are in tune with the needs of Taiwan compatriots at the grassroots and focus on the issues of common concern to compatriots and enterprises from Taiwan.

Addressing the press conference, Jiang Jianping, deputy head of the Office of Taiwan Agricultural Affairs under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, noted that the multi-tiered agricultural exchanges and cooperation on all fronts across the Taiwan Strait are deepening.

The mainland has greenlighted the establishment of 15 experimental zones for agricultural cooperation across the Taiwan Strait and 28 innovation parks with incentives for Taiwan farmers, while an increasing number of compatriots and enterprises from the island are entering sectors like rural tourism, the intensive processing of farm products and rural e-commerce, Jiang said.