The Cross-Strait Interpreting Competition is an influential annual event jointly organized by Xiamen University and the Taiwan Association of Translation and Interpretation, with the support of the Ministry of Education and the Taiwan Affairs Office. Since its launch in 2009, the contest has attracted more than 10,000 contestants from over 800 universities in mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Past events of the contest were covered in mainstream media, including China Central Television (CCTV), China Daily, Television Broadcasts (TVB), Eastern Broadcasting Co (EBC), and Phoenix Satellite Television. As a grand academic and professional event with significant influence and wide participation across the Taiwan Strait, the Competition is an excellent platform to “strengthen cross-strait ties, increase academic cooperation and enhance understanding and friendship among young contestants from both sides of the Taiwan Strait”. Thanks to its preliminary coastal location and drawing on its profound tradition and strength of interpreting teaching and research endeavors, Xiamen University initiated and successfully hosted the first Cross-Strait Interpreting Competition in 2009, which created great impact and has become a regular event held on a yearly basis. The contest builds an exchange platform to engage interpreting trainees, interpreting professionals, teachers and language service providers across the Strait to exchange their insights, practices and visions for the development of interpreting education, building successful partnerships between academia and industry. As a high-profile competitive event reported by hundreds of major media outlets, the competition also helps enhance the public’s understanding of interpreting as a profession, and making outstanding contribution towards the standardization of teaching, evaluation and accreditation of much-needed interpreting talents across the country and region.