Song Tao (right), head of both the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, shakes hand with former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang party Ma Ying-jeou in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province on December 18, 2024. Photo: taiwan.cn

A delegation of young people from China's Taiwan island led by former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang Ma Ying-jeou has arrived in Harbin, capital city of Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province on Wednesday for a nine-day cross-Straits youth exchange program running from December 18 to 26. 

Song Tao, head of both the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, met Ma and some Taiwan representatives attending the cross-Straits youth ice and snow festival in Harbin. Song conveyed greetings from Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, to the guests.

He called on people on both sides of the Straits -all of whom are Chinese - to prioritize the future of the country and the interests of the nation, uphold the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, and firmly oppose "Taiwan independence" separatism and external interference. He also urged people to work together to improve cross-Straits relations, maintain peace and stability in the Straits, and pursue national rejuvenation.

Expressing his gratitude for Xi's greetings, Ma said that people on both sides of the Straits - all of whom are members of the Chinese nation -- should uphold the 1992 Consensus, oppose "Taiwan independence," expand exchange and cooperation, and work together to promote the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations.

According to Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, Ma's itinerary includes attending a cross-Straits youth ice and snow festival in Harbin, featuring activities such as a youth exchange symposium.

Ma's itinerary in Harbin also includes a visit to the Exhibition Hall of Evidences of Crime Committed by Unit 731 of the Japanese Imperial Army in Harbin and venues for the Asian Winter Games in the city, according to Taiwan-based news outlet udn.com. Unit 731 was a notorious Japanese germ-warfare unit against Chinese people during World War II.

Ma and his delegation are expected to visit Southwest China's Sichuan Province on December 22 after the trip in the northeastern region, according to udn.com.

Yu Qiang, a professor of Taiwan studies at the Beijing Technology and Business University, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the trip to Northeast China will open a new perspective for Taiwan compatriots to understand the mainland more directly. Notably, the region's rich ice and snow tourism resources are likely to attract more Taiwanese youth to explore the mainland. 

Apart from experiencing the charm of ice and snow tourism and the warmth of the people of the Northeast, Chang Li-chi, from Taiwan island and currently a postdoctoral researcher at Huaqiao University in Xiamen in East China's Fujian Province, believed that the visit would also help Taiwan youth to deepen the common historical memories shared by Chinese people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits, as both regions share historical memories of Japanese occupation.

The visit to mainland provinces of Heilongjiang and Sichuan is Ma's third visit to the mainland in two years. In April 2024, Ma took along some Taiwan youth to the mainland for a trip he described as "journey of peace." 

In 2023, Ma led a delegation of students on a private visit to five mainland cities, including his ancestral home in Xiangtan, Central China's Hunan Province. 

Ma's trip came about two weeks after a delegation of 40 faculty and students from seven universities in the mainland including two Olympic champions finished a nine-day trip to Taiwan for exchanges at the invitation of Ma Ying-jeou Culture and Education Foundation.

Meanwhile, the visit comes amid rising cross-Straits tensions fueled by secessionist provocations. As Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)'s Lai Ching-te came to office in May this year, he has repeatedly stated that Taiwan and the mainland "are not subordinate to each other." While the US did not stop sending wrong signals to secessionists through repeated arms sales to Taiwan.

Before departure, Ma told Taiwan media on Wednesday that as cross-Straits tension rises, he hopes to "build a bridge of peace across the Taiwan Straits, transcend political challenges, and convey the shared aspirations of people on both sides for exchanges," aiming to "minimize misunderstandings between the two sides."

"The mainland has always been committed to promoting cross-Straits exchanges, especially exchanges between young people," Yu said, "Today, thanks to the joint efforts from mainland and Taiwan, cross-Straits youth exchanges have been able to form a regular pattern in the current complex and volatile cross-Straits situation, which is valuable."

This underscores the mainland's goodwill toward Taiwan compatriots and reflects Taiwanese youth's demand for cross-Straits exchanges and peace, Yu added

Chang said that the kind of frequent exchange of visits between the two sides, which is similar to "visiting relatives" between families, helps foster understanding and friendship between people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits.

If cross-Straits exchanges are disrupted, misunderstandings will grow, allowing external forces and secessionists to incite confrontation and division, ultimately complicating peaceful reunification, Chang said.

That scenario is definitely not what we are seeking, and not in the interest of Taiwan's youth, he added.