Cross-Straits officials agree to regular communication

Zhang Zhijun (R), head of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, shakes hands with Wang Yu-chi, Taiwan's mainland affairs chief, before their formal meeting, in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, Feb 11, 2014. (CNS Photo)

The Chinese mainland and Taiwan on Tuesday agreed to regular communication between their cross-Straits affairs departments.

The arrangement was announced after a meeting between Zhang Zhijun, head of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office (SCTAO), and Wang Yu-chi, Taiwan's mainland affairs chief, who arrived in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, on Tuesday morning for a four-day visit.

Their meeting was the first between sitting cross-Straits affairs chiefs from the two sides since 1949.

The two sides agreed to promote cross-Straits relations on the basis of the "1992 Consensus" and expected the communication mechanism to improve exchanges, understanding and mutual trust, as well as better handle cross-Straits issues, said the SCTAO.

The mechanism will not replace talks between the mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits and its Taiwan counterpart the Straits Exchange Foundation, which focus on detailed affairs and cross-Straits agreements, said a statement from the office.

Also, it will not change the way how other departments of the two sides contact each other, it added.