The Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the visiting delegation of the Kuomintang (KMT) held working talks in Beijing Thursday afternoon to prepare for a top level meeting between leaders of the two parties Friday.

Thursday's talks aimed to make preparations for the top level talks between KMT Chairman Lien Chan and Hu Jintao, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, said Chen Yunlin, director of the CPC Taiwan Work Office.

"More importantly, we aim to create a mechanism for future exchanges and interaction between the two parties," Chen told Xinhua in an interview.

Lin Feng-cheng, secretary-general of the KMT, said they will discuss details concerning Friday's top level meeting and confer on the establishment of a platform for communication between the two parties.

Lin said he hoped such a platform could be set up today to "facilitate further exchanges between the two parties, promote peace across the Taiwan Straits and prove a mutually beneficial move."

The delegation, led by KMT Chairman Lien Chan, arrived in Beijing late Thursday morning on the second leg of their tour on the Chinese mainland. The delegation arrived in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, from Taiwan on Tuesday.

(Xinhua News Agency April 28, 2005)