Mainland welcomes Taiwan entrepreneurs in Belt & Road construction

BEIJING -- Taiwan entrepreneurs are welcomed to participate in the construction of the Belt and Road despite the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration's refusal to recognize the 1992 Consensus, a Chinese mainland spokesperson said Thursday.

"We actively encourage Taiwan companies to make use of the China-Europe express freight trains to market their goods to central Asia and Europe to expand their overseas markets," said An Fengshan, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, at a press conference.

The office has been promoting the establishment of Belt and Road-related industrial parks in related provinces and municipalities, and has encouraged and assisted Taiwan business people to become involved to form new clusters for Taiwan investment on the mainland.

An said the office had also invited Taiwan entrepreneurs to tour provincial areas along the Belt and Road and some of them have already found business opportunities and started their investment and operations.

The mainland would continue to promote this work to enable Taiwan business people to share the mainland's economic development opportunities, according to the spokesperson.

Taiwan's current DPP administration has not recognized the 1992 Consensus, which embodies the one-China principle, leading to the suspension of cross-Strait communication mechanisms and stalling of institutionalized cross-Strait economic cooperation, An said.

This has impaired the interests of compatriots across the Strait and resulted in the loss of development opportunities for Taiwan entrepreneurs, he added.

Comprised of the land-based Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, the Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by the Chinese mainland, aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe, Africa and beyond.