BEIJING -- Taiwan students studying on the mainland said the recent visit by a delegation of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party led by its chairwoman Cheng Li-wun had sent a positive signal to both sides across the Taiwan Strait, highlighting shared ties and renewed prospects for closer engagement.

During the delegation's visit, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, met Cheng on Friday in Beijing, marking the first meeting between the leaders of the two parties in a decade.

The two leaders stressed that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to the Chinese nation. They also called for joint efforts to promote cross-Strait peace and oppose "Taiwan independence."

Chang Hsuan-chi, a Peking University student from Taiwan, expects that the two sides of the Strait, as demonstrated by the meeting, will pursue a broader path of peaceful development by adhering to the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus.

Taiwan students studying on the mainland have been a major part of cross-Strait exchanges since mainland universities began admitting students from Taiwan in 1985.

Eligible students from Taiwan can pursue studies at mainland universities through multiple channels, with favorable policies on access to scholarships, the mainland's basic medical insurance, internship opportunities, and career guidance.

"Over the years, I've deeply felt the close ties between people on both sides, and benefited from supportive policies and development opportunities on the mainland," said Lin Ching-mao from Hsinchu in Taiwan, who is now a PhD student of international relations at Peking University.

Through her visit, Cheng has brought expectations for peace from Taiwan to the mainland, and conveyed goodwill back to the island, which can help reduce misunderstandings, Lin said.

From April 7 to 12, Cheng and the KMT delegation toured Jiangsu province, Shanghai and Beijing, visiting various sites from historical landmarks to technology companies.

Wu Hao-wen, a doctoral student at Tsinghua University, said the meeting between the two party leaders had shown sufficient goodwill from the mainland toward Taiwan, which may encourage people from Taiwan to participate in more exchanges that ease misunderstandings and foster better mutual understanding with the mainland.

"The trip showed many young people in Taiwan that cross-Strait exchanges are not a 'forbidden zone,' but an opportunity," said Lin Yu-hao, a master's student in chemical engineering at Tsinghua.

Lin Yen-chen, a PhD student in international relations at Peking University, said Cheng's trip has also shown the huge potential for complementary industrial cooperation across the Strait, as the mainland enjoys large market and supply chains and Taiwan has advantages in high-tech sectors such as semiconductors.

"Cross-Strait cooperation benefits both sides, and we should work together and share in the fruits of national development," Lin Yen-chen said.

Huang Po-shen, an undergraduate in computer science at Tsinghua, said he sees strong potential for technological collaboration. "Combining strengths through more exchanges is mutually beneficial," he said.

Multiple regions on the mainland have launched measures to create a more favorable environment for young people from Taiwan developing on the mainland. For example, Taiwan residents working in Beijing are entitled to equal treatment in areas such as social insurance, professional title evaluation, and salary and welfare benefits. Fujian has provided job openings specifically for talent from Taiwan, spanning sectors such as education, healthcare, science and technology, and finance.

In addition to these, as the KMT delegation wrapped up the visit on Sunday, the Chinese mainland also rolled out a package of 10 policies and measures to boost cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation, including promoting the full resumption of regular direct passenger flights across the Strait, and establishing an institutionalized platform for two-way exchanges between young people on both sides.

Lee Chou-hsi, a medical student at Tsinghua University, said the policy package demonstrated the positive momentum of deepening cross-Strait integrated development and will surely attract more people from Taiwan to the mainland for development opportunities.

Li Zhi-yang, a doctoral student at the School of Marxism of Tsinghua, said the platform for two-way exchanges among young people is especially important in the long term.

"I hope that more young people from Taiwan will have opportunities to come to the mainland, better understand it, and integrate into life here," Li said.