Cross-Strait pact urged for cultural exchanges

BEIJING - The Chinese mainland supports a proposed cross-Strait agreement on cultural relic exchanges, according to State Council Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Yang Yi.

At a press conference Friday, Yang said he hoped that both the mainland and Taiwan would work together to create more favorable conditions for cross-Strait cultural relic exchanges and to institutionalize such efforts.

"(By doing so) both sides will play a bigger role in and contribute more to the passing down and promotion of Chinese culture," Yang said.

He said the recent years had seen flourishing cultural relic exchanges across the Taiwan Strait, in terms of exhibitions, professionals exchange, and academic forums.

However, he pointed out that due to certain specific historical and realistic reasons, full two-way exchanges of cultural relics for exhibition purposes between the mainland and Taiwan have yet to be realized.

Yang's words echoed comments made earlier this month by Li Xiaojie, head of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.

Addressing a cross-Strait forum in Chongqing on Nov 5, Li called for the mainland and Taiwan to sign an agreement on cultural relics exchanges as soon as possible.