General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Hu Jintao on Sunday extended his warm congratulations to the success of the just-concluded cross-Straits Economic and Trade Forum.

The two-day forum is an important activity for the CPC and the Taiwan-based Kuomintang (KMT) party to continue exchanges and dialog, Hu said during a meeting with visiting KMT Honorary Chairman Lien Chan in the Great Hall of the People here.

With the joint efforts of people from across the Straits, the forum turned out to be a "great success" when the participants adopted joint proposals for further development in cross-Straits economic and trade ties, said Hu.

To further demonstrate the sincerity of the mainland to boost the relations, Chen Yunlin, director of the Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee, announced the mainland's 15 new beneficial policies at the closing ceremony of the forum.

The policies allow more Taiwan fruits and aquatic products to be sold to the mainland, adding the mainland will recognize university diplomas issued in Taiwan.

Under the policies, the mainland will designate four more cities to issue valid passes for Taiwan visitors. Special clinics will be established for Taiwan visitors in some mainland cities, with doctors coming either from the mainland or from Taiwan.

The policies also allow Taiwan investors to set up joint-venture hospitals in the mainland with local partners, and they could hold as much as 70 percent of the stake.

Taiwan compatriots will be allowed to get license for medical practice in the mainland, after they pass official examinations.

Lien also spoke highly of the forum, saying the beneficial policy package represents the public opinion across the Taiwan Straits and is of profound significance.

The announcement of the 15 policies not only "created new opportunities" for further economic and trade cooperation across the Straits. They will also lead to a "even brighter future" for this endeavor, Lien said.

Participants in the forum gave positive evaluation on the endeavor of both the CPC and KMT to promote cross-Strait economic and trade cooperation during the past year, when Hu and Lien, then KMT chairman, met first and worked out measures to this effect.

The participants also agreed on joint proposals to nail down how to implement the measures and how to deepen cross-Straits economic exchange and cooperation in the future.

The most eye-catching points of the joint proposals include urging the Taiwan authorities to allow mainland financial institutions to set up branch offices in Taiwan; continuing to push forward direct transport across the Straits; removing obstacles in cross-Straits economic cooperation and trade, and building a common market that covers the two sides of the Straits.

To promoting direct transport across the Taiwan Straits, the joint proposals urged authorities on both sides to follow the example of the "Macao Talks" which found solutions to the Spring Festival charter flights across the Straits last year.

The forum, jointly sponsored by a research center of the Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee and the KMT's policy foundation, focused on cross-Straits economic and trade exchanges and direct transport links.