A group of 38 students and teachers from the National Taiwan University arrived in Beijing on Tuesday as part of an exchange with counterparts from Peking University, adding to the spate of recent summer vacation cross-Strait exchanges.

The exchange has been organized by the management schools of both universities since 2001. Each year, students and teachers engage in reciprocal one-week visits, academic exchanges, and visits to famous companies.

Following a three-year suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students from Peking University visited Taiwan between July 11th and 16th. The return visit began this week in Beijing and will include Chengdu in Sichuan province.

The exchange follows the end of a nine-day visit to Taiwan by 37 students and teachers from five mainland universities on Sunday at the invitation of the Taiwan-based Ma Ying-jeou Foundation. It was headed by Hao Ping, Party Secretary of Peking University.

During a welcome dinner on Tuesday night, Wang Bo, vice-president of Peking University said that both sides of the Strait share the same roots and blood, and their emotional connection cannot be severed.

He said the exchanges are significant in promoting two-way communication and deepening the friendship between youths on both sides of the Strait.

Hu Shing-yang, dean of the National Taiwan University's management school, said that the resumption of exchanges is meaningful, and the friendship between the two schools can only be sustained through mutual understanding and interaction between students.