Xiamen and Jinmen, two cities facing each other cross-Straits,  joinly forge the cooperative ties over the past years.[Photo/VCG]

A mainland senior official on Taiwan affairs on Sunday highlighted the significance of the mainland's ties with Jinmen, a county and small island attached to Taiwan but close to the mainland.

Liu Jieyi, head of the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made the remarks during an inspection and at a symposium held with a deleation from Jinmen County in the port city of Xiamen in Fujian Province.

Adjoining Xiamen with convenient transportation is a unique regional advantage Jinmen boasts among Taiwanese counties, he said.

By taking the lead in receiving the supply of water, electricity and gas from the coastal regions of Fujian, as well as getting connected with the mainland by bridges, Jinmen could rely on Xiamen to make the most of the vast development space and opportunities of the mainland, according to Liu.

In that sense, Jinmen could take a leap forward and build the county into a new ground for economic development that goes in line with the tide of the times, which would not only do good for the county but also benefit the development of Taiwan as a whole, he continued.

Local residents at Xiamen enjoy the firework show on a festival collaboratively held by cities on both sides of the Straits.[Photo/VCG]