Major Taiwan newspapers yesterday published positive reports about the historic visit by Chen Yunlin, the mainland's top negotiator on cross-Straits issues, to the island.

"We welcome Chen's visit and expect the Taiwan public to treat him with politeness for better cross-Straits interaction in the future," said an editorial in Economic Daily News.

"His visit bears great significance to cross-Straits relations and regional peace and security."

Commercial Times said in its editorial that Chen's trip to the island "symbolized a new era in which cross-Straits relations are moving toward reconciliation and cooperation from confrontation".

The meeting is significant for the "institutionalization of ARATS-SEF consultations" and the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations, said Xu Bodong, a well-known Beijing-based scholar on the Taiwan issue.

About 1,030 journalists had applied to cover Chen's visit, more than 800 of whom were Taiwan reporters, a record number covering a news event on the island.

(China Daily November 4, 2008)