TAIPEI, Feb. 5 -- Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou on Wednesday expressed expectation that Taiwanese businessmen based on the Chinese mainland further their efforts to promote cross-Strait peace and prosperity.

Ma recognized the great contributions that mainland-based Taiwan businessmen made for the growth of cross-Strait trade and job creation, when attending a Lunar New Year reception in Taipei for the businessmen who returned home for family reunion.

Ma said more frequent cross-Strait exchanges in the forms of tourist visits and student exchanges also facilitated mutual understanding between people across the Taiwan Strait.

In 2013, 2.21 million tourists from the Chinese mainland traveled to Taiwan. More are expected to visit Taiwan this year as the daily quota for entry was expanded for mainland tourists.

Mainland students studying in Taiwan have increased from around 800 before 2008 to the present over 24,000.

Lin Join-sane, chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), said at the reception that Taiwan businesses based on the mainland should make transformation and upgrading to stay competitive, and this called for supports from both the mainland and Taiwan.