Taiwan envoy welcomes mainland proposal

The mainland will promote investment in Taiwan, encourage mainlanders to visit the island, buy more Taiwan goods and encourage Taiwan enterprises to tap the mainland market, Wen said.

Vice Chairman of Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Kao Koong-lian (R center) shakes hands with Zheng  Lizhong (L center), deputy chief of the mainland-based  Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS), during preliminary talks in Taipei on April 18, 2009. The preliminary meeting was to discuss details of the upcoming third round of cross-Straits talks between Chen Yunlin, chief of the ARATS, and Chiang Pin-kung, chairman of SEF. (Xinhua/Zhang Yong)

He also said the two sides should try and set up an economic cooperation mechanism.

The mainland and Taiwan should "discard past enmity and face the future" to tackle the financial crisis and seek common prosperity, the premier said.

Taiwan media reported before the meeting that island leader Ma Ying-jeou asked Chien - his teacher at Taiwan University - to tell Wen that he hoped the mainland and Taiwan "support each other in the same predicament", referring to the financial crisis.

Cross-Straits talks

The Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, the mainland agency which handles cross-Straits ties, announced on Saturday that the two sides will hold the fourth round of the dialogue on expanding ties from April 25 to 29 in Nanjing. They are expected to sign three agreements on direct air links, fighting crime, financial cooperation and an agreement which will permit free flow of many goods, services and capital.

Editor:Zhang Ning