Fujian becoming even more friendly for Taiwan biz

Tseng Chih-ying, from Taipei, Taiwan province, who came to Fujian province in 2018 with a team of young designers from Taiwan to undertake rural vitalization projects, received a loan of 300,000 yuan ($41,725) in January. It was the first personal credit loan issued to a Taiwan compatriot in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian.

Tseng's main work includes building bed-and-breakfast homestays in villages, renovating old streets and filming documentaries to record local history, which requires a significant amount of funding.

Previously, Taiwan compatriots faced difficulty with verification and credit inquiry paperwork, often encountering hurdles when applying for loans. When they needed to apply for housing, auto, travel and education loans, applications could only be made using prohibitive collateral.

Last year, the State Council issued a guideline supporting Fujian exploring new platforms for cross-Strait integration and development. Minqing county in Fuzhou took the lead in launching personal credit loans for Taiwan residents, which has significantly helped people associated with small and medium-sized businesses.

"At a rural credit cooperative in Minqing, it only took one day for me to sign the contract, open an account and get the loan. I believe such trust will encourage more young Taiwan people to come to Fujian and start their entrepreneurial endeavors," Tseng said.

The rural credit cooperative in Minqing said Taiwan compatriots are an important part of the local community. The cooperative will continue to increase financial support for Taiwan residents and their business undertakings, and provide more innovative products and service models, thus helping them achieve their entrepreneurial goals.

Fuzhou stands as the closest provincial capital to Taiwan province on the Chinese mainland, and it has the largest number of settled Taiwan residents on the Chinese mainland. As of 2023, more than 26,000 Taiwan people lived in Fuzhou, according to the local government.

The guideline also pointed out that Fujian is being encouraged to create an international first-class business environment, and guide Taiwan compatriots and their enterprises to jointly build a market-oriented, law-based and convenient business environment.

Some key industrial bases for Taiwan investment have been successfully established in Fujian, forming multiple industrial chains such as those in the sectors of display screens, automobiles and their components and foodstuffs, the local government said.

Last year, the number of newly established Taiwan enterprises and the actual scale of utilized Taiwan capital in Fujian remained tops on the Chinese mainland, and cumulative value of trade between Fujian and Taiwan provinces exceeded 1.5 trillion yuan, according to the local government.

This year, Fujian will continue to strengthen economic and trade cooperation with Taiwan and create a demonstration model for cross-Strait economic integration, Zhao Long, governor of Fujian, said in a government work report in January.

Fujian will optimize the business environment for Taiwan individuals and firms, and relax market access restrictions for enterprises from Taiwan in accordance with laws and regulations, Zhao said.