TAIPEI - A week-long event designed to bolster new industrial cooperation between Jiangsu province, a forefront of economic miracles in eastern China, and Taiwan kicked off on Wednesday.

Shi Taifeng, deputy secretary of the Jiangsu Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, said at the opening ceremony that Jiangsu and Taiwan, who were already cooperating in industry, can further complement each other through joint work in the areas of new energy, new materials, bio-technology, environmental protection, finance and insurance, logistics, software development and creative industry.

Those present at the ceremony included Lien Chan, honorary chairman of the Chinese Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang, as well as Chiang Pin-kun, chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation.

Addressing the ceremony, Lien noted that Jiangsu ranks among the top provinces in terms of the number of Taiwanese investors it has attracted and is well positioned to further industrial cooperation with Taiwan.

According to Lien, the opportunities for economic cooperation facing both the mainland and Taiwan are to be cherished, adding that exploiting them and carrying forward the peaceful development of cross-Strait ties ?benefits not only the mainland and Taiwan but also the world economy.