The Chinese mainland and Taiwan on Tuesday agreed to regular communication between their cross-Strait affairs departments.

The arrangement was announced after a meeting between Zhang Zhijun, head of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office (SCTAO), and Wang Yu-chi, Taiwan's mainland affairs chief, who arrived in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, on Tuesday morning for a four-day visit.

Their meeting was the first between cross-Strait affairs chiefs since 1949.

The two sides agreed to promote cross-Strait relations on the basis of the 1992 Consensus and expect the communication mechanism to improve exchanges, understanding and mutual trust, said an SCTAO statement.

The new arrangement will not replace talks between the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) and its Taiwan counterpart the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), which focus on detailed affairs, nor will it change the way other departments interact with each other.

Official visits by members of cross-Strait affair departments will increase. Zhang has accepted Wang's invitation to visit Taiwan, according to the SCTAO.

The political basis for peaceful development of cross-Strait relations is to oppose Taiwan's independence and adhere to the 1992 Consensus, said Zhang at the meeting.

He urged sticking to these tenets, progressing through cooperation, and breaking down barriers.

The two sides agreed to push forward follow-up agreements to the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, explore practical ways to jointly develop their economy, and join in regional cooperation.

They agreed to allow ARATS and SEF to exchange offices "as early as possible" and promote cultural, education and scientific exchange.

The two sides will also try to settle a health insurance issue for college students studying on the other side of the Strait.

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