Taiwan, Chinese officials meet on tourism

BEIJING, June 11 (UPI) -- Taiwanese leaders were expressing optimism Wednesday as they arrived in Beijing for talks on allowing more tourists from mainland China to visit the island.

The talks between Taiwan, which China considers to be a breakaway province, and the mainland government were being viewed as historic by political observers, who note it represents the first formal discussions between them in nine years, the Voice of America reported.

Chiang Pin-Kung, leader of the Taiwanese delegation, called the trip an opportunity to build mutual trust between the two sides and move them toward a more peaceful co-existence, VOA said, adding that an agreement is expected to be signed Friday.

Chiang is the leader of the Straits Exchange Foundation, which VOA said is a semi-official body established to talk to China in a time when no official ties between the governments exist. Traveling with him is a 19-member delegation including some of the highest-ranking ever to participate in such bilateral talks.