Enterprises from Taiwan and the Yangtze River Delta region signed 16 contracts worth a total 95.4 billion yuan (US$13.5 billion) at a conference yesterday aimed at enhancing the involvement of companies from Taiwan in the delta.

Fifteen cover a total investment of 45.4 billion yuan in 15 projects and one is expected to provide 50 billion yuan in loans to Taiwan companies in the delta over the next two years.

Four of the programs are related to Shanghai, including one between the Shanghai Hongqiao Central Business District and the Taiwan Ruentex Group to set up the company’s mainland headquarters in the district.

Another is between the Minhang District government and Everjoy Health Group to transform Everyjoy’s construction material company CIMIC. The government of Songjiang District and Shanghai Wafer Works will develop an R&D facility for integrated circuits.

The Bank of Shanghai and the Association of Taiwan Investment Enterprises on the mainland signed a contract to provide financial services for Taiwan enterprises in the region.

Other programs are in cities in Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui provinces, covering areas ranging from energy to manufacturing and smart cities.

According to authorities in the region, the Yangtze River Delta has attracted around 50,000 Taiwan-invested enterprises, accounting for more than a third of the total on the Chinese mainland. They have invested in more than 1,800 programs this year alone with a total investment of around 90 billion yuan.

The Taiwan affairs offices in Shanghai and the three provinces also released a proposal to enhance participation of Taiwan investment in efforts to boost integrated and high-quality development of the Yangtze River Delta.

They plan to establish a scheme to share information and unify policies to better enforce policies in favor of Taiwan-invested enterprises and improve the development environment for them.

They also encourage Taiwan compatriots to join regional reforms in manufacturing, innovation in major scientific equipment, application of key national projects, government procurement, development of 5G, and investment in infrastructure construction in Belt and Road countries.

To promote integrated development of companies from Taiwan and the mainland, authorities will build shared industrial, value and supply chains.