Ma Ying-jeou, leader of Taiwan, said on Thursday he will try to improve exchange and cooperation, and reduce hostility on certain issues during his meeting with Xi Jinping in Singapore on Saturday.
Ma told a press conference he hopes the meeting will be the first step of a regular arrangement in the future.
"The meeting will be advantageous for the next generation," he said, adding that it was the result of improving cross-Strait relations and mutual trust in the past seven years.
Since 2008, 11 rounds of cross-Strait talks have been held and 23 important agreements signed, including the lifting of bans on direct shipping, air transportation and post in 2008, and the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement in 2010.
Cross-Strait interaction has progressed from talks between two non-governmental organizations to meetings between cross-Strait affairs chiefs from both sides.
"We can see a pattern. We cannot rule out the possibility of higher-level mechanisms," Ma said.
The ultimate purpose is to promote cross-Strait peace and prosperity, consolidate regional stability and improve people's welfare, he said.
The mainland has hailed the scheduled meeting "a breakthrough" and "milestone."
On Wednesday, Zhang Zhijun, the mainland's Taiwan affairs chief, noted that the decision showed both sides were willing to put aside their differences and respect each other.
The meeting will be the first in 66 years since the Kuomintang, led by Chiang Kai-shek, fled to Taiwan after being defeated in a civil war.
