Taiwan and East China's Zhejiang province complement each other in the cultural and creative sectors and have a vast potential for bilateral cooperation, a senior Zhejiang official said.

Zhao Hongzhu, CPC Party secretary of Zhejiang province, said on May 26 in Taipei that the cultural and creative sectors, as an epitome of the modern knowledge-based economy, are increasingly important for the healthy economic and social development of a country or region.

Zhao is heading a Zhejiang delegation on a 7-day tour of the island at the invitation of the central committee of the Kuomintang. The delegation attended an exhibition of the Fu Chun Shan Ju Tu (Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains) at the Palace Museum in Taipei.

Thanks to the joint efforts of the Zhejiang Museum and the Palace Museum of Taipei, the painting, one of the ten legendary artworks of ancient China, is on display in Taiwan from June 1.

During the annual "Two Sessions" in March 2010, Premier Wen Jiabao said that he hoped the two parts of the painting "could be placed together to make it complete."

The Zhejiang delegation is also hosting a series of cultural exchange activities in Taiwan concerning Buddhist culture, tourism, traditional Chinese medicine, food and the creative sector. The delegation is also seeking to further expand cooperation with their counterparts in Taiwan in areas of commerce and trade, rural affairs, science, education, health, and small and medium-sized enterprises.

"Zhejiang has laid a solid foundation concerning culture and the development of the creative sector, thanks to its early start, and is entering a golden period of opportunity in these sectors," Zhao said.

"Meanwhile, Taiwan has a distinctive advantage in its culture and creative sector.

"Over the past years, Taiwan has witnessed a boom in these areas, with the emergence of a batch of outstanding creative enterprises and professionals. We hope this visit will launch an effective platform for the related industries of both sides, further establishing better cooperation across the Straits."

On behalf of the 54.43 million people in Zhejiang, Zhao also extended a warm greeting to people in Taiwan, saying that Zhejiang and Taiwan share the same Chinese culture and business interests.

In his meeting with Wu Pho-hsiung, honorary chairman of the Kuomintang, Zhao said that people across the Straits shoulder the same historical responsibility of inheriting, broadcasting and developing Chinese traditional culture.

Now that the two sides across the Straits have achieved progress in economic development, we should seek a more prosperous exchange in the cultural sector, he added.

"Zhejiang warmly welcomes more investment from Taiwan, and hopes more Taiwan businesses come to Zhejiang and we will do our best to provide favorable measures to facilitate your development here," Zhao said.

Wu Pho-hsiung said that cultural exchanges are a vital part to sound development across the Straits, and said he hopes that the Zhejiang delegation will showcase the culture of Zhejiang, enabling people in Taiwan to know more about Zhejiang.

(China Daily 06/02/2011 page7)