BEIJING, May 24 -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, has called both sides across the Taiwan Strait a "community of shared destiny that cannot be prised apart."

Xi made the remarks in a congratulatory letter, made public Wednesday, to the Association of Taiwan Investment Enterprises on the Mainland (ATIEM) on its 10th anniversary.

The Chinese mainland has become a popular destination for Taiwan compatriots to invest, start businesses and live since the 1980s, when the door between the two sides was reopened, Xi said.

Economy on either side is an integral part of economy of the Chinese nation, he said in the letter.

It is the common aspiration of compatriots on both sides to improve their well-being and kinship and take national destiny into their own hands, he added.

"We are willing to share the mainland's development opportunities with Taiwan compatriots first, and welcome Taiwan compatriots to invest here," Xi said.

The mainland will continue to make it easier for Taiwan compatriots to study, work, start businesses and live on the mainland, said Xi, promising concrete measures to protect their rights and interests.

Xi expressed his hope that ATIEM will continue to adhere to the one-China principle, unite Taiwan compatriots and contribute to peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and the great revival of the Chinese nation.