Ma Ying-jeou, former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang party, arrived in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, on Wednesday to begin his third visit to the Chinese mainland, aiming to promote cross-Strait exchanges amid tense relations.

Ma is leading a group of approximately 20 Taiwan youth to the northeastern province to participate in an ice-themed event. They will also visit Sichuan province in the southwest to experience traditional Chinese culture before returning to Taiwan next Thursday.

During a meeting with Ma on Wednesday evening, 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, said that compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are all Chinese and should prioritize the future of the nation and the interests of the Chinese people.

He called for upholding the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, firmly opposing Taiwan separatist forces and external interference while actively promoting cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation.

He urged cooperation to advance the development of cross-Strait relations, maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, seek the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and create long-lasting prosperity for the Chinese people.

Ma said that people on both sides of the Strait belong to the Chinese nation and should adhere to the 1992 Consensus, oppose "Taiwan independence", expand exchanges and cooperation, and jointly promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, allowing the Chinese nation to stand tall in the world.

This visit represented Ma's second trip to the mainland this year and his third in less than two years, highlighting his ongoing efforts to foster cross-Strait engagement.

Following a recent nine-day tour to Taiwan by 40 mainland students and teachers invited by the Ma Ying-jeou Culture and Education Foundation, Ma emphasized the critical importance of such youth exchanges between the two sides.

The foundation is doing its utmost to promote youth exchanges between the two sides, constructing bridges of peace across the political divide, and conveying the heartfelt desire for communication among people on both sides, he said while leaving Taiwan for the mainland in the morning.

"This is what I can do to the best of my ability for the people of Taiwan and for cross-Strait peace," he said at the airport. "The more exchanges there are between the youth on both sides, the deeper the understanding, and the fewer conflicts there will be in the future."