Lien Chan, honorary chairman of Taiwan's opposition party Kuomintang (KMT) will visit the mainland in late April, mainland spokesman said in Beijing on Wednesday.

Lien will head the KMT delegation to attend the third cross-strait economic, trade and cultural forum scheduled for April 28-29 in Beijing, said Yang Yi, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.

He said representatives from the two sides will exchange views on topics of common concern including direct flights, education and tourism.

"We hope this forum will further promote the cross-Straits economic and cultural exchanges and cooperation and push cross-Straits relations towards peace and stability," Yang said at the regular press conference.

Lien Chan will also attend a worship ceremony at the hometown of the Yellow Emperor, the ancestor of Han Chinese, in central China's Henan Province at the invitation of the Henan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, Yang said.

This is the fourth visit by Lien Chen to mainland since his first visit in April, 2005.

(Xinhua News Agency April 11, 2007)