Agreements on 41 projects are inked at the opening ceremony of 2018 Zhejiang-Taiwan Cooperation Week in Hangzhou on Sept 12. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

The 2018 Zhejiang-Taiwan Cooperation Week aimed at sharing development opportunities and accelerating exchanges and cooperation between the two regions commenced in Hangzhou on Sept 12.

Over 1,500 people from across the Straits attended the opening ceremony of the weeklong event and witnessed the signing of agreements on 41 investment projects worth $4.29 billion, a year-on-year increase of 5.1 percent.

Liu Jieyi, head of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council addressed the opening ceremony, and reviewed the measures that Chinese mainland has adopted over the past years to promote communications with Taiwan. He hopes Taiwan compatriots and companies could seize the opportunities and develop their businesses in mainland cities.

Yuan Jiajun, governor of Zhejiang province, pledged to share opportunities of digital economy, internet plus, Zhejiang Greater Bay Area and green agriculture with Taiwan in his speech and hoped to strengthen the bilateral ties in intelligent manufacturing, e-commerce, port logistics, ocean economy and tourism.

To attract quality projects and businesses, Yuan said Zhejiang will strive to improve the business and living environments for people and companies from Taiwan by ensuring more benefits and treating them in the same way as the locals.

After the opening ceremony, entrepreneurs from both sides exchanged ideas on the construction of Zhejiang Greater Bay Area and the development of modern services at a forum.

In the following days, there will be over 50 activities themed on an assortment of topics in the cities of Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou and Jiaxing.

First established in 2013, the Zhejiang-Taiwan Cooperation Week has been an important platform for the economic, trade, cultural and social exchanges between the East China province and Taiwan.

In recent years, the relations between the two regions have yielded fruitful results. By the end of June, 2018, more than 8,700 companies funded by Taiwan capital were stationed in Zhejiang, bringing in a total investment of over $50 billion. In 2017, the value of imports and exports with Taiwan reached 72.1 billion yuan ($10.53 billion), a year-on-year increase of 18.5 percent.