Business representatives from Zhejiang and Taiwan attend the opening ceremony of 2019 Zhejiang Taiwan Cooperation Week in Hangzhou on Sept 17. [Photo/zjnews.zjol.com]

The 2019 Zhejiang Taiwan Cooperation Week kicked off in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, on Sept 17.

The event was co-hosted by the provincial government of Zhejiang and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.

"The activity goes hand-in-hand with the trend of peaceful cross-Straits development and the common expectation of cross-Straits entrepreneurs and thus will promote Zhejiang-Taiwan bilateral ties," said Guo Jinlong, president of the Cross-Straits CEO Summit on behalf of the Chinese mainland.

Guo expressed his hope that cross-Straits entrepreneurs will seize the opportunity brought about by the Belt and Road Initiative and strengthen bilateral ties. He also promised that the summit will continue to serve as a communications platform for cross-Straits startups.

Vincent Siew, president of the Cross-Straits CEO Summit on behalf of Taiwan, said that he will try to facilitate bilateral cooperation in key areas such as intelligent manufacturing, e-commerce, financial services, healthcare and tourism.

Governor Yuan Jiajun of Zhejiang province promised to improve services to Taiwan's entrepreneurs in Zhejiang and offer them the same treatment that is provided to locals.

The opening ceremony also witnessed the signing of nine cooperation projects between Zhejiang and Taiwan. Officials said there will be a total of 32 projects signed worth $4.58 billion during the week, a year-on-year increase of 6.8 percent.

Officials said Zhejiang has been deepening its ties with Taiwan in recent years. 

Statistics show Zhejiang had approved the establishment of more than 9,600 Taiwan-funded enterprises as of June 2019. Its annual trade with Taiwan maintained over $10 billion for many years. Last year its trade with Taiwan climbed over to be worth $11.16 billion, up 11.5 percent year-on-year.

The province has also established business incubation centers in Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou, Jinhua, Yiwu and Jiaxing to serve Taiwan young entrepreneurs who decided to start business in Zhejiang.

During the week, there will be more than 50 activities throughout Zhejiang in intelligent manufacturing, e-commerce, healthcare, culture and entrepreneurship.

The organizers said these would encourage Taiwan entrepreneurs to contribute to the development of Zhejiang and the integration of the Yangtze River Delta region.