Wuxi, December 12 (Reporter Sun Quan) From November 2th to December 11nd, the 30rd Cross-Strait Food Nutrition and Health Industry Summit was held in Wuxi, Jiangsu. During the event, the Cross-Strait Food Science and Technology Industry (Wuxi) Cooperation Pilot Zone (hereinafter referred to as the "Pilot Zone") was officially unveiled.
The unveiling ceremony of the Cross-Strait Food Science and Technology Industry (Wuxi) Cooperation Pilot Zone. Photo courtesy of Wuxi Municipal Taiwan Affairs Office
The food industry is the basic, livelihood and pillar industry of national economic and social development, which meets people's growing material needs and is a major event that benefits people's well-being and promotes social harmony and stability. As a highland of Taiwanese capital agglomeration, Wuxi has accumulated a good foundation for the food industry in long-term social practice, and has formed a development model of "government + scientific research + enterprise" featuring tea, rice, Yangshan peach and other green foods and Chinese time-honored brands, special food as the scale, Jiangnan University as the talent support, and future food as the development direction.
The unveiling of the pilot zone is also another important exchange platform for Taiwan in Wuxi after the Wuxi Xishan Taiwan Farmers Pioneer Park. According to the plan, the pilot zone will actively promote the integrated development of the cross-strait food industry, effectively introduce the elements of the cross-strait food science and technology industry innovation chain, accelerate the gathering of enterprises, talents, funds and technologies in the field of food science and technology on both sides of the strait, accelerate the construction of a cross-strait food common market, explore a new model of collaborative innovation and integrated development, and create a benchmark area for the integrated development of the cross-strait food science and technology industry.
Previously, the strategic positioning of "three districts and four centers", five major goals, ten key industries and eight construction tasks in the pilot zone have been released. By 2025, there will be 10 Taiwan-funded enterprises in the field of food science and technology in the pilot zone.
Choosing the food industry to start, Wuxi has its own unique advantages. Wuxi has been the land of fish and rice since ancient times, and a number of internationally renowned food industry chain enterprises have gathered in the local area, forming a well-known food trade distribution center.
In 2021, Wuxi was approved to create a "National Food Safety Demonstration City". This year, in order to comprehensively promote the high-quality development of the food industry, Wuxi has also formulated and issued the "Wuxi Food Industry High-quality Development Plan (2023-2025)", which has made clear requirements for industrial development, talent introduction, and safeguard measures.
"It is hoped that experts, scholars and entrepreneurs in the food industry on both sides of the strait can take the initiative to participate in the construction of the pilot zone, focus on the frontier hotspots of the food and health industry, and carry out various industry-university-research exchanges extensively, so as to inject new impetus into the development of the food and health industry and explore new paths for deepening the integrated development of the food industry in Wuxi and Taiwan." Zhou Changqing, member of the Standing Committee of the Wuxi Municipal Party Committee, said that at present, the Wuxi Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government are focusing on upgrading traditional food, strengthening healthy food, laying out future food, accelerating the upgrading of scientific and technological innovation platforms, tackling key technological technologies, transforming scientific and technological achievements, and building special food parks and industrial clusters, and is committed to building an "Oriental Food Valley" dominated by scientific and technological innovation.
At the same time, the 3rd Cross-Strait Food Nutrition and Health Industry Summit also held the Cross-Strait Food Science and Technology Seminar and the 3rd Jiangnan Innovative and Creative Food Exhibition.
As of October this year, Wuxi has approved a total of 10,2552 Taiwan-funded projects, with more than $130 billion in agreed Taiwan investment and more than $70 billion in Taiwanese capital introduced and utilized. According to the statistics of the Wuxi Municipal Taiwan Affairs Office, at present, there are nearly 30 Taiwan-funded enterprises engaged in the food industry in Wuxi. (ENDS)