You Quan, Party secretary of Fujian province, led an exchange delegation to the Port of Kaohsiung in Taiwan on July 7.

According to You, Fujian should learn from Kaohsiung in developing an international port. The Port of Kaohsiung is Taiwan's largest container port and the sixth largest in the world, through which pass most of Taiwan's marine imports and exports.

The Port of Xiamen, as well as other ports in Fujian province, will further strengthen cooperation with the Port of Kaohsiung and build strong links in cross-Straits port construction, You said, adding that a standard operation of new container shipment routes will be launched.

In 2013, the Port of Xiamen reached a record trade volume of 16.5 million tons to Taiwan, a 22.3 percent year-on-year increase. It also handled container throughput of 400,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), a 9.2 percent increase.

You said Kaohsiung and Xiamen should work together to build a cruise home port and develop a cruise economy.

Furthermore, both Fujian and Taiwan boast abundant tourism resources and enjoy a good international reputation. It is promising for both sides to cooperate and develop a cruise route featuring the cross-Straits tourism brand, he said.

You further explained that, free trade port zones in Fujian should pursue more exchange and cooperation with the Kaohsiung Free Trade Port Zone, creating more business opportunities for enterprises on both sides.

The delegation will visit other cities and counties in Taiwan over five days, such as Tainan, Nantou, Taipei, Taichung, Taoyuan, and Jinmen. They will also have face-to-face meetings with the grass-roots community and small and medium-sized enterprises in Taiwan.

By Lu Ting from China Daily Fujian Bureau