Work commenced on the cross-Straits (Kunshan) commerce and trade cooperation zone, located in Kunshan city, in East China's Jiangsu province on Tuesday.

The commerce and trade cooperation zone is expected to have 30 thousand employees and realize 50 billion yuan of annual trade volume in three to five years.

The Vice Governor of Jiangsu province says the cooperation zone will play a significant role in perfecting cross-Straits cooperative relations,

Speaking at the work-commencement ceremony, Zhang Weiguo said the project will expand the development space for Taiwanese enterprises and quicken the process of the restructuring and upgrading of Kunshan's industry.

Mr Zhang says he’s attached great importance to the construction of trade cooperation zone, and urged the Suzhou city and Kunshan city governments to fully recognize the significance to project a new platform on which to build strong cross-Straits economic and trade relationships.

Also addressing the crowd at the work-commencement ceremony was Yan Li, mayor of Suzhou city.

He extended warm congratulations for the initiation of the project, which he says will encourage leading enterprises to invest in Huaqiao and promote the restructuring and upgrading of Kunshan and Suzhou’s Taiwanese enterprises.

He said the project, as a leading provincial development zone in the modern service industry, has formed an industrial base integrated with service outsourcing, headquarters economy, logistics and supporting services. He also said the project’s virtue lies in its geographic, cost, and political advantages and the aggregation of major enterprises and programs from home and abroad.

The Secretary of Kunshan Municipal Party Committee Zhang Guohua also spoke at the ceremony, expressing his determination to develop cooperation zone into a modern trade area.

Zhang said the zone would provide purchasing, retailing, wholesaling and exposition services for Taiwanese commodities.

Mr Zhang said he would sincerely like to work with the Taiwan Trade Center, the Taiwan federation of industries, Taiwan Power Labor Union, Taiwan industrial and commercial research commission and other departments from Taiwan, to come to a win-win situation.

Taiwan Affairs Office, department of commerce, General Administration of Customs and General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine were called for to support the development of the Cross-Straits (Kunshan) commerce and trade cooperation zone.