Chinese mainland residents with permits to travel to Taiwan will be able to travel to and back from Taiwan through the islands of Jinmen, Mazu and Penghu, Wang Yi, director of State Council Taiwan Affairs Office said on Sunday.

Wang announced this and other new measures to facilitate exchanges across the Taiwan Strait at a forum on the economic area of the west side of the Taiwan Strait held in Xiamen, east China's Fujian Province.

Up to now, mainland travelers had two ways to reach Taiwan: indirect flights via Hong Kong or Macao or non-stop charter flights on weekends.

Since July 20, residents in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Liaoning, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shandong, Hubei, Guangdong, Chongqing, Yunnan and Shaanxi have been allowed to visit Taiwan in groups, under an agreement between the mainland and Taiwan. Wang said the mainland is considering to expand the list.

He said starting on Oct. 20, Taiwan compatriots traveling to the mainland could get Mainland Travel Permits for Taiwan Residents (MTP) or change their old MTPs into new ones with a valid period of five years in more places, namely the municipalities of Beijing, Tianjin and Chongqing and in Zhejiang Province, in addition to Shanghai, Jiangsu and Fujian.

He said starting on Sept. 25, each MTP holder will have a unique lifetime number. The rules for MTP codes are adjusted to facilitate Taiwan residents to go through relevant procedures in the mainland.

He said the mainland will add Beijing, Nanjing, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Guilin and Shenzhen to the list of places that issue travel permits to Taiwan compatriots as of Oct. 20.

Wang hoped that both sides would do more to establish direct cross-Straits links for mail, trade and transportation as early as possible.

He said that cross-Straits industrial cooperation should be expanded, while financial collaboration needed solid development. He added that cross-Straits economic cooperation mechanism should be established to provide the basis for mutually beneficial ties.

Since March, significant and positive changes have taken place in Taiwan, presenting precious opportunities for the development of cross-Straits ties, Wang said.

With concerted efforts by both sides, cross-Straits ties have moved into a track of peaceful development, bringing concrete benefits to compatriots on both sides, he said.

He called on both sides to continue to strengthen the development momentum and create a new framework of peaceful development to safeguard the overall, long-term interest of the Chinese nation.

He promised to seriously deal with everything that concerns the Taiwan compatriots' interests, faithfully implement pledges made to them and solve their difficulties.

Wang envisioned a new cross-Straits situation of more frequent personnel exchanges, more harmonious relations between compatriots of both sides, broader cooperation and closer economic and cultural ties, resulting from both sides' efforts.

He also pledged support for Fujian to implement the strategy of developing the west side of the Taiwan Strait to further promote its trade and economic, cultural and personnel exchanges with Taiwan.

The Xiamen Declaration of Tourism Region in West-side of Taiwan Strait (Xiamen Declaration), covering the 23 member cities' future blueprint of cross-straits tourism, was signed by heads of tourism administrations from the 23 provincial areas, including Fujian, Zhejiang, Guangdong, etc, here on Sunday.

More efforts will be devoted to enhance the communication of tourism administrations between mainland provinces and Taiwan and to build up a new tourism transportation network.

Jinmen County had also planned a cooperation framework named "N+X" to match the Xiamen Declaration, said Lin Zhencha, director of Jinmen administration of tourism and transportation.

"N" stands for the member cities in mainland while "X" refers to the cities in Taiwan.

A framework of "23+3" would be realized as "3" stands for Jinmen, Mazu and Penghu islands for the first episode, he told Xinhua.

The development of tourism is expected to put an end to the estrangement of people from the two sides of the Strait, said Deng Youping, professor of Taipei University.

It should also build up mutual trust and a more harmonious atmosphere, he told Xinhua.

(Xinhua News Agency September 8, 2008)