Cross-Straits baseball competition runs in Xinwu district

The opening ceremony for the 2019 Cross-Straits Baseball Competition kicks off in Jiangsu Provincial Baseball Training Base, in Wuxi's Xinwu district on Sept 18. [Photo/wnd.gov.cn]

The opening ceremony for the 2019 Cross-Straits Baseball Competition kicked off in Jiangsu Provincial Baseball Training Base, in Wuxi's Xinwu district on Sept 18.

A total of 14 teams from both sides of the Taiwan Straits have been divided into two groups of adults and teenagers respectively to compete in the five-day event.

It is the second time that Xinwu district has been host to the competition, after it signed an agreement with the Chinese Baseball Association to be the sponsor on the mainland.

Wang Jinjian, Party secretary of Xinwu district, delivers a speech on the opening ceremony. [Photo/wnd.gov.cn]

Wang Jinjian, Party secretary of Xinwu district, said the government would provide more support and better services to the event in future – because it was a good way of  promoting communications and exchanges in baseball between Wuxi and Taiwan.

Wuxi's Xinwu district has been working hard to develop baseball classes and talented players in schools for years.

Xu Yuanbo, a baseball coach from Taiwan's Jinmen town, said they were excited to have the chance to compete with the previous winning team -- Wuxi Meicun Experimental Primary School.

Chinese Baseball Association President Chen Xu spoke highly of the baseball education efforts that schools in Taiwan have been making to train up their young talent.

He said the mainland has also been working to train more young baseball players.

A total of 14 teams from both sides of the Taiwan Straits take part in the competition. [Photo/wnd.gov.cn]