BEIJING -- China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), which sets out goals and measures for further deepening economic cooperation and exchanges across the Taiwan Strait, has drawn support from Taiwan people working and living on the mainland.

The outline of the new five-year plan for national economic and social development was unveiled and approved earlier this month during the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress, serving as the country's development blueprint for the next five years.

According to Wu Chia-ying, vice-president of the Association of Taiwan Investment Enterprises on the Mainland, the new five-year plan has outlined a more comprehensive and clearer roadmap for integrated development across the Strait.

A series of concrete measures, including building demonstrative zones for integrated development, reflect the mainland's resolve to promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and deepen integration, he said.

"We expect further improvements in policies on cross-Strait integration, which can help foster closer industrial cooperation and build a common market across the Strait," said Edward Lee, CEO of Johnson Health Tech Co Ltd China.

Integration means not only in economic activities but also in daily life, as the 15th Five-Year Plan stresses full implementation of policies ensuring Taiwan people receive equal treatment with local residents on the mainland.

Wu noted that this creates new opportunities for Taiwan people to thrive on the mainland. "For example, in Xiamen, we also receive support in children's education and medical care, which has spared us from related worries, so we can focus on long-term development."

Hung Chi-en, who has lived in Huai'an in eastern Jiangsu province and worked in environmental protection since 2015, said the equal treatment he received in areas such as finance and human resources strengthened his sense that both sides of the Strait belong to one family.

"We will see more integrated development across the Strait during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, and there will be better conditions for Taiwan people to study, work and live on the mainland," he added.

For Taiwan entrepreneurs on the mainland, the 15th Five-Year Plan's emphasis on economic growth and high-quality development, reflecting continuity in China's economic policies, has reinforced their confidence.

As a Taiwan entrepreneur who has been developing his business on the mainland for years, Wu said the steady policies have further strengthened his resolve to settle down for long-term development on the mainland, especially amid the current volatile international environment.

"I have felt indeed that the Plan serves as guidance for direction and also a policy reassurance for us," Wu added.

Lee Cheng-hung, chairman of the Association of Taiwan Investment Enterprises on the Mainland, noted that the emphasis on high-quality development in the new five-year plan indicates that Taiwan entrepreneurs are also pursuing more innovation dividends instead of only focusing on market size and cost advantages on the mainland.

"We need to leverage our strengths, aligning with the directions outlined in the Plan regarding specific industries, and we will surely have a bright prospect," he said.

Earlier this month, Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said at a regular press conference that the 15th Five-Year Plan period, a significant stage for the mainland's development, will also be a period of great opportunities for Taiwan people and enterprises.

He noted that Taiwan enterprises can upgrade traditional industries through digital and intelligent transformation, expand into emerging sectors with new technologies and products, and tap into future industries by leveraging the mainland's innovation ecosystem.

Some Taiwan entrepreneurs have noticed opportunities in specific development goals outlined in the Plan. Li Ming-hui, general manager of LIHPAO Life Science (Xiamen) Biotechnology Co Ltd, for example, expects his company to benefit from the Plan's call for accelerated progress in building a healthy China.

Li said the mainland's commitment to enhancing cross-Strait cooperation and public resource sharing in the health and medical field has created a broad prospect for the industry.

"The Plan provides industrial upgrading opportunities for Taiwan entrepreneurs and businesses, opening up a promising new market space for us," he added.

Wu said he believes that Taiwan people and enterprises on the mainland are both beneficiaries and promoters of the cross-Strait integrated development, and they have a responsibility to help advance the national reunification outlined in the Plan.

"The implementation of the 15th Five-Year Plan will open a broader space and more diverse paths for cross-Strait integrated development," he said. "Taiwan people and enterprises will join the overall national development more proactively, and contribute greater strength to national rejuvenation while realizing their own better development."