Kuomintang (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) led a party delegation to mainland China, meeting with Jiangsu Province Communist Party Secretary Xin Changxing (信長星) at noon on April 8 in Nanjing.
Xin said that Jiangsu is home to 3,232 Taiwan-funded enterprises in Kunshan alone, and that more than 20,000 Taiwanese nationals currently live in the province, many of whom have settled there permanently and regard it as a second home.
The visit marks Cheng's first trip to mainland China since assuming the KMT chairmanship. The delegation began the day with a visit to the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum before sitting down with Xin for the midday meeting. The group then traveled by high-speed rail to Shanghai to continue their itinerary.
Xin extended a formal welcome on behalf of the Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee, noting that Cheng had chosen Jiangsu as the first stop of the mainland visit.
He said the province had originally arranged visits to multiple sites, but the delegation's schedule in Nanjing was limited.
"Many highlights will have to wait for next time," he said, adding that this gave the delegation reason to return.
Xin said Cheng's visit had come at the invitation of General Secretary Xi Jinping(習近平), and that the Jiangsu Provincial Committee had made arrangements in accordance with instructions from the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council. He said cross-strait development and cooperation reflected "the needs of cross-strait relations and the shared aspirations of people on both sides."
Xin described Jiangsu as one of the most active provinces in cross-strait exchanges and among the most concentrated regions for Taiwanese investment. He said the province had cumulatively approved more than 32,000 Taiwan-funded projects.
He also disclosed that a new agreement had recently been signed with Fuji Electric for an artificial intelligence chip project valued at approximately 10.1 billion yuan, or roughly $1.4 billion.
More than 100 new projects were launched in the province last year, he added, with some funded through reinvested profits. Cities including Nanjing, Huai'an, and Nantong each host between 400 and 500 Taiwan-funded enterprises.
Xin said more than 20,000 Taiwanese nationals live in Jiangsu on a long-term basis, with many having built families there over multiple generations.
"They have brought their children here to study and treat this place as a second home," he said.
Beyond trade and investment, he noted that Jiangsu and Taiwan have cooperated in education, culture, and youth exchange programs, which he described as evidence that the two sides form "an ongoing community of shared destiny."
In her remarks, Cheng said that 21 years after then-KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) led a delegation to the mainland in 2005, each such visit carries "a weight of history, but also confidence and expectation for the future."
She said she believed the trip would give the delegation "greater energy and strength" to continue working toward shared goals upon returning to Taiwan.
Cheng praised Jiangsu as a standout example of Chinese cultural heritage, citing its cuisine, architecture, and arts. She highlighted the potential for youth exchanges between Jiangsu and Taiwan, saying that if young people from both sides could collaborate on that basis, "their future achievements would be limitless."
She also called on both sides to prioritize peace, creativity, and the aspirations of ordinary people amid what she described as an uncertain international environment, saying that cross-strait solidarity could generate significant collective strength. （Related： Taiwan Battles China For Pacific Influence With Marshall Islands Visit ｜ Latest ）
