Mainland welcomes more Taiwan youth to join cross-Strait cooperation: spokesperson

BEIJING, July 16 (Xinhua) -- A mainland spokesperson on Wednesday invited more young people from Taiwan, especially those who have never been to the mainland, to visit the mainland and see it for themselves.

Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a regular press conference that the mainland welcomed more young people from Taiwan to participate in cooperation and joint development across the Taiwan Strait.

He noted that the National Natural Science Foundation of China has established a research fund for compatriots from Taiwan to create favorable conditions for cross-Strait academic exchange and scientific research cooperation.

He also mentioned that the eighth cross-Strait youth development forum was held from July 10 to 15 in Hangzhou and several other cities in the eastern province of Zhejiang, with the participation of more than 700 young people from Taiwan.