Photo: VCG
The Fujian Provincial Bureau of Sports announced on Tuesday the list of the second batch of 100 Fujian-Taiwan island baseball and softball partner schools in East China's Fujian Province. The bureau stated that the initiative aims to encourage more primary and secondary school students to participate in baseball and softball while exploring mechanisms for exchange and cooperation with relevant institutions in Taiwan.
"Baseball and softball have long been popular among youth in Fujian and the island of Taiwan, and cross-Straits exchanges in this field have a long history," Shen Limeng from the Sports Industry Department of the Fujian Provincial Bureau of Sports told the Global Times on Wednesday.
Shen noted that Fujian had its own baseball and softball teams as early as the 1980s. In recent years, the atmosphere surrounding baseball and softball has grown even stronger.
In April 2024, Fujian announced the first batch of 100 Fujian-Taiwan baseball and softball linked schools.
Today, Fujian is accelerating the implementation of the Fujian-Taiwan Baseball and Softball promotion project, establishing a cross-Straits baseball and softball exchange service system across the province. The initiative includes the creation of the Fujian-Taiwan baseball and softball regional development center, with a city-level development center in each prefecture-level city, facilitating regular youth sports exchanges between Fujian and Taiwan, according to the China News Service.
"Baseball and softball are key components of the sports industry in China. As a major province for sports-related industries, Fujian hopes to leverage this initiative to drive further industrial development," Shen noted.
At the base in Fujian, there will be two adult baseball fields, one adult softball field, a baseball training and competition center, a softball training and competition center, and a multifunctional complex. The base aims to serve as a new platform for cross-Straits baseball and softball exchanges, hosting competitions, cultural exchange events, and other related activities.
"Early cross-Straits baseball and softball exchanges were primarily driven by Taiwan businesspeople and were relatively fragmented," Shen noted.
"In recent years, with policy support from the Fujian provincial government, increased financial investment, and enhanced infrastructure development, these exchanges have become more large-scale and institutionalized," he said.
In April 2024, the Fujian Sea Sharks Baseball Team, jointly formed by Fujian and Taiwan, was officially established. The team currently consists of two professional baseball coaches from the Taiwan island, two coaches from the mainland, 15 Taiwan athletes, and 11 mainland athletes.
According to Shen, Fujian aims to establish 300 baseball and softball partner schools over the next three years, selecting 100 schools annually to receive funding for field renovations, curriculum development, and team formation, while also organizing campus tournaments.
