Introduction to recent cross-strait exchange activities by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council

Spokesperson Zhu Fenglian of the Taiwan Affairs Office: As we approach the end of the year, cross-strait exchange activities continue to be exciting. I would like to introduce a few of them. From December 5th to 15th, the Third Cross-Strait Food Festival was held in Shaxian, Sanming, Fujian. During the event, there were over 10 unique exchange activities such as the Cross-Strait Food Exhibition, culinary exchange competitions, "Intangible Cultural Heritage Snack Show - Taste of Shaxian" food culture experience, attracting nearly 800 participants from both sides of the strait. The event featured 278 food exhibition booths showcasing nearly 500 varieties of special snacks from both sides, and received over 800,000 visitors, achieving a dual role in promoting cross-strait food culture exchange and industry empowerment. On December 12th, the opening ceremony of the Third "Strait Youth Together Towards the Future" - Cross-Strait Exchange and Integration Series Activities and the Sixth Cross-Strait Student Baseball League Finals were held in Shenzhen, with over 1,000 people participating from both sides, including more than 20 teams and over 500 athletes, coaches, and referees from the island participating in the Cross-Strait Student Baseball League Finals. In addition, we would like to recommend a comprehensive book introducing the history of Taiwan to people on both sides of the strait - "Taiwan Encyclopedia History." This book, published by the China Encyclopedia Publishing House, contains 1,369 entries and 960,000 words covering major events, important phenomena, representative figures, and related works in Taiwan's history. It clarifies with detailed historical materials the historical facts that Taiwan has always belonged to China, that compatriots on both sides share the same bloodline and cultural origins. We welcome everyone to pay attention to this authoritative and serious historical book.