Ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival, a traditional holiday that symbolizes family reunion that will fall on Tuesday, more than 200 people from both sides of the Taiwan Strait gathered in Fuzhou, capital of East China's Fujian province, calling for peaceful development.

Song Tao, head of both the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, stressed upholding the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, resolutely opposing "Taiwan independence" when meeting with Taiwan guests attending the event on Thursday.

"It is a tradition for Chinese people to reunite with the whole family and celebrate the festival," he said, adding that the Chinese mainland will actively boost the cross-Strait flow of personnel as well as exchanges and cooperation in various areas, and continue deepening the integrated development across the Strait.

Hsia Li-yan, vice-chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang, said: "People from both the mainland and Taiwan are all Chinese and close as family."

He called for cherishing the opportunities of peaceful development, building consensus and forming future-oriented visions, thereby boosting the positive development of cross-Strait relations.

The activity featured snacks, folk shows, and exhibitions by Taiwan businesses. Guests from both sides, as well as children dress in Hanfu attire, joined hands to light lanterns, praying together for a better future across the Strait.

The event was co-hosted by Fuzhou and Matsu, an island off the coast of Fujian administered by Taiwan, which has become a frontier for interactions between Taiwan and mainland. In April, the mainland announced the resumption of Fujian residents traveling to Matsu, after suspension for years since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Weng Ying-min, executive vice-chairman of the Fuzhou Taiwan-funded Enterprises Association, said: "Local residents have a deep longing for mainland residents to visit Matsu and Kinmen for tourism, which would greatly benefit the local economies and tourism."

Chen Yi-ting, a member of the All-China Federation of Taiwan Compatriots, said: "It was particularly meaningful because compatriots from both sides gathered to celebrate the festival of reunion. Such moments are especially precious. In Taiwan, we also like to find a place together to enjoy the fun of barbecuing together."

Wang chenye and Wen Linxiang contributed to this story.