Taiwan media delegation to depart for mainland visit

A group of major media representatives from Taiwan is to leave Wednesday for a four-day visit to the Chinese mainland, the island's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) announced Tuesday.

The group, led by the SEF chairman Chiang Pin-kung, will visit Beijing and Shanxi Province, the SEF said in a statement.

Wang Yi, head of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, and Chen Yunlin, president of the mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) would meet the delegation in Beijing, said the statement.

The statement said exchanges between media circles had lead the way in cross-Strait cultural exchanges over the past two decades.

During the second round of talks between the SEF and the ARATS in November last year, the two sides listed expanding media exchanges as one of the issues as a priority in future negotiations, the SEF said.

The SEF said with joint efforts, issues of mutual concern among media circles across the Strait would certainly be incorporated into the agenda of negotiation at an early date.

Officials with the General Administration of Press and Publication and the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television will also hear opinions from members of the delegation, according to the schedule.

The delegation is scheduled to visit to major news organizations including Xinhua News Agency, the People's Daily and China Central Television (CCTV), the SEF said.

The 25-member delegation includes key figures from 15 media organizations in Taiwan as well as experts and staff from the SEF.

Source: Xinhua