数观 | 两岸交流和则两利、合则双赢

8月10日，国务院台湾事务办公室、国务院新闻办公室发表《台湾问题与新时代中国统一事业》白皮书。

白皮书指出，在中国共产党的引领推动下，70多年来特别是两岸隔绝状态打破以来，两岸关系获得长足发展。两岸交流合作日益广泛，互动往来日益密切，给两岸同胞特别是台湾同胞带来实实在在的好处，充分说明两岸和则两利、合则双赢。

1978年两岸贸易额仅有4600万美元，2021年增长至3283.4亿美元，增长了7000多倍；大陆连续21年成为台湾最大出口市场，每年为台湾带来大量顺差；大陆是台商岛外投资的第一大目的地，截至2021年底，台商投资大陆项目共计123781个、实际投资额713.4亿美元。1987年两岸人员往来不足5万人次，2019年约900万人次。近3年来受疫情影响，线上交流成为两岸同胞沟通互动的主要形式，参与及可及人数屡创新高。

越来越多的台湾同胞特别是台湾青年来大陆学习、创业、就业、生活，促进了两岸社会各界交往交流交融，加深了两岸同胞利益和情感联系，增进了两岸同胞文化、民族和国家认同，有力牵引着两岸关系沿着统一的正确方向不断前行。

A large trade surplus for Taiwan

"The mainland has been Taiwan's largest export market for the last 21 years, generating a large annual surplus for the island," the white paper noted. It said that the volume of cross-strait trade rose to $328.34 billion in 2021 from only $46 million in 1978, up by a factor of over 7,000.

In 2021, Taiwan's trade with the Chinese mainland accounted for 25.2 percent of Taiwan's total external trade. The island's exports to the Chinese mainland accounted for 28.2 percent of Taiwan's total exports, while imports from the Chinese mainland accounted for 21.6 percent of the island's total imports.

Largest investment destination for Taiwan

The Chinese mainland has become the largest destination for Taiwan's outbound investment, attracting 32.6 percent of the island's total outbound investment in the first four months of this year.

Taiwan's investment on the Chinese mainland mainly went to Jiangsu, Shanghai, Fujian, Guangdong and other areas.

The investment was mostly related to professional, scientific and technical services with a share of 16.6 percent.

"By the end of 2021, Taiwan businesses had invested in almost 124,000 projects on the mainland, with a total value of $71.34 billion," the white paper said.

More visits to Taiwan for tourism

In 1987, less than 50,000 visits were made between the two sides across the Taiwan Straits, while this number soared to about nine million in 2019, according to the white paper.

From 1987 to the end of April 2022, there had been a total of 31.6 million visitors from the Chinese mainland to Taiwan. The annual number of visitors from the Chinese mainland to Taiwan hit a record high of about 4.1 million in 2015, nearly 81 percent of which traveled for tourism.

However, the number of visitors has plunged in recent years due to the impact of COVID-19. In January-April 2022, there were 4,400 visitors from the Chinese mainland to Taiwan.

Affected by COVID-19, online communication has become the main form of people-to-people interactions across the Taiwan Straits, and the numbers of people participating in and covered by online communication are reaching new highs.

In 1980, the GDP of the Chinese mainland was about $303 billion, just over seven times that of Taiwan, which was about $42.3 billion. In 2021, the GDP of the Chinese mainland was about $17.46 trillion, more than 22 times that of Taiwan, which was about $790 billion, according to the International Monetary Fund.

"China's development and progress, and in particular the steady increases in its economic power, technological strength, and national defense capabilities, are an effective curb against separatist activities and interference from external forces. They also provide broad space and great opportunities for cross-strait exchanges and cooperation," the white paper said.

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