In this undated file photo, Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, takes a question during a press conference in Beijing, China. (CHEN YEHUA / XINHUA)
BEIJING - The 12th Straits Forum was successfully held despite various obstructions by the Democratic Progressive Party authority and the impact of COVID-19, a Chinese mainland spokesperson said Wednesday.
Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, introduced the results of the forum in response to a question at a regular press conference.
About 2,000 Taiwan compatriots attended various activities of the forum and 90,000 people in Taiwan watched the forum online, making it the largest cross-Strait exchange activity since the COVID-19 outbreak
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About 2,000 Taiwan compatriots attended various activities of the forum and 90,000 people in Taiwan watched the forum online, making it the largest cross-Strait exchange activity since the COVID-19 outbreak, Ma said.
With online activities held, including debates, performances, an exhibition and e-commerce livestreaming, the forum has led cross-Strait exchanges into the "cloud era," Ma said.
Noting the forum has brought people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait closer together, Ma said it enabled attendees from all walks of life to discuss economic cooperation, cultural and primary-level exchanges, build collective memory about the fight against COVID-19 and promote Chinese culture.
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He pointed out the forum also facilitated the online docking of over 80 economic and trade projects, involving a total volume of investment of more than 3 billion yuan (about US$441 million).
In September, other cross-Strait economic and trade events, including the Shandong-Taiwan Economic and Trade Fair, the Tianjin-Taiwan trade fair and the Jiangxi-Taiwan trade conference, were held by the mainland consecutively, Ma said.
