Former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang party, Ma Ying-jeou, who is leading a delegation of young people from Taiwan, visited Ningde City in Fujian Province on Tuesday.

During the visit, he toured a model township of poverty alleviation, visited China's leading battery manufacturer CATL, and met with a senior mainland official.

Ma and the other members of the delegation visited Xiadang, the model township of poverty alleviation in the morning. While working in Fujian, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Xi Jinping made three arduous trips to Xiadang, in a bid to lift the town out of poverty.

Ma said that Xi has led nearly 100 million people out of poverty on the mainland, which is a rare achievement in history and around the world, and a historic contribution to the Chinese nation. This achievement is truly admirable and touching, Ma noted.

During his visit to CATL, Ma learned about the company's development journey, technological innovations and global footprint. He was impressed by CATL's technological achievements, such as producing one battery cell per second and enabling a 520-kilometer range with just five minutes of charging. CATL is a global leader in the new energy sector and a sought-after partner for major international carmakers.

Song Tao, head of both the Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, met with Ma after the latter concluded his daytime visit.

Song called on people on both sides of the Straits, all of whom are Chinese, to uphold the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, firmly oppose "Taiwan independence" separatism and external interference, and promote cross-Straits exchange and cooperation.

He also urged people to work together to maintain peace and stability in the Straits, advance the process of reunification, and pursue national rejuvenation.

Ma noted that when the two sides of the Straits work together, they both benefit, but when they drift apart, both suffer.

Stressing that people across the Straits yearn for peace and cooperation, Ma said that by upholding the 1992 Consensus and opposing "Taiwan independence," the two sides can stride forward hand in hand to jointly forge a bright future.

(With input from Xinhua)