A cross-Straits forum on rural vitalization opens in Ninghai county, Ningbo, Zhejiang province on May 17. [Photo by Wang Mingzhu/taiwan.cn]

The first cross-Straits forum on rural vitalization was held in Ninghai county, Ningbo of Zhejiang province on May 17.

People from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan held discussions on the development of rural areas and reached a batch of cooperation agreements in the fields of agriculture, rural tourism, startups and characteristic towns.

The forum was designed to be an exchange platform for policy interpretation, academic research, resource sharing, project cooperation and to share the achievements made in rural vitalization. It aimed to boost the rural development of both the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.

Long Mingbiao, deputy director of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office addressed the opening ceremony of the forum, saying, "The rural vitalization agreements  present a golden opportunity and there is great potential for the two sides to seek cooperation on agriculture and the construction of beautiful villages."

Lin Junq-tzer, former acting chairman of Kuomintang, hoped both sides could join hands to promote rural development and work for the general wellbeing of people.

Ningbo, a coastal city in East China, plays a special role in cross-Straits exchanges, according to Liang Qun, director of Ningbo's Unified Front Work Department, saying "Ningbo is an important investment and tourism destination for Taiwan people, and the exchanges and cooperation between the two places are thriving."

Long Mingbiao, deputy director of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office addresses the opening ceremony of the forum in Ninghai county, Zhejiang province on May 17. [Photo by Wang Mingzhu/taiwan.cn]

A batch of cooperation agreements worth 10 billion yuan ($1.57 billion) are signed at the forum in Ninghai county, Zhejiang province on May 17. [Photo by Wang Mingzhu/taiwan.cn]