Taiwan youths invited to start mainland businesses

The recent cooling of political exchanges between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan doesn't seem to have dampened the enthusiasm of young entrepreneurs from the island.

The atmosphere on the mainland favoring entrepreneurship is encouraging some young talents to make their dreams come true.

Taiwan native Peter Wu and some friends started their first business by organizing international students from the United Kingdom to teach English in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, during summer vacations in 1999.

"It was all by accident," Wu said.

At the time, he was a student at Oxford University. One of his associates had connections in Shenzhen. Although the business failed because of the outbreak of SARS in 2003, Wu said, he started again in 2006, taking advantage of advanced technology in Taiwan in a venture selling electronic products to mainland customers.

Wu and his partners chose to register their company, which focuses on solar energy, in Shenzhen.

"Shenzhen is a hub of the electronics industry and a center for entrepreneurship, inspiring people's entrepreneurial spirit," he said. "Almost everyone in Shenzhen is thinking about starting a company - software engineers, company employees - they all do."

Despite the business changes, one thing has remained constant, Wu said - the connection between the mainland and Taiwan.

He has no concerns about the cooling political climate since the newly elected leader, Tsai Ing-wen, took office on May 20. Beijing has urged her to acknowledge clearly that both the mainland and Taiwan are parts of one China. But that's another world to Wu.

"Politics is politics, but people-to-people communication remains," he said, "The flights from the mainland and Taiwan are still full."

Wu's success is expected to be replicated by more young Taiwan entrepreneurs, thanks to the mainland's "Innovation and Entrepreneurship" strategy, which encourages startups.

China's top political adviser, Yu Zhengsheng, met with Taiwan youths on Saturday during the eighth Straits Forum in Xiamen, Fujian province, encouraging them to come to the mainland to start a business or seek employment.

Also on Saturday, an incubation and coaching platform for startups from Taiwan was launched in Xiamen to promote cross-Straits innovation and entrepreneurship.

The platform, known as the Taiwan Pavilion, will focus on guiding innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises, promote cross-Straits outsourcing of services and encourage human resources exchanges.

With businesses ranging from human resource brokerages to e-commerce and microfinancing, the platform will provide investment channels and financing support for Taiwan entrepreneurs on the mainland.

"The mainland has a sizable market, which allows Taiwan youths to expand their business across the Straits," said Tseng Wei-kuang, director of the Kuomintang Youth Federation in Pingtung county in southern Taiwan.

He said he hopes regional governments on the mainland will be more transparent about their policies and practices to support entrepreneurs.

Xinhua contributed to this story.