Taiwan residents benefit from Hangzhou's preferential policies

Taiwan residents have reaped benefits from Hangzhou's 60 new preferential policies, which were released in July, CCTV reported.

The policies, ranging from employment, social insurance to living needs and academic exchanges, is part of a string of goodwill efforts by the Hangzhou government to facilitate Taiwan people to work and live in the city, and to boost business cooperation and youth exchanges between the two sides.

The measures have brought great benefits to Taiwan people, for example, the Article 37 encourages Taiwan teachers to be engaged in teaching work in Hangzhou schools, which is a great opportunity for young people from Taiwan and there will be more of them coming to Hangzhou in the future, according to Lin Jiayan, vice-president of the Hangzhou Association of Taiwan Compatriots Investment Enterprises.

"Taiwan residents previously had to pay social insurance to get the citizen card in Hangzhou, but now those who live in Hangzhou for more than three months can apply for it, which has provided us with more convenience", said Zhou Baohua from the Hangzhou Association of Taiwan Compatriots Investment Enterprises.

In recent years, the number of Taiwan people who have come to Hangzhou for investment, study, employment and tourism has witnessed substantial growth. From January to June, the total investment of Taiwan-funded companies in the city reached $305 million, a whopping year-on-year increase of 900 percent.