Four new airports will be built and another four renovated in the Western Coast Economic Zone, a region in Fujian province that faces Taiwan across the sea. An additional 40 flights will be scheduled each week, bringing the total number of flights to 420, Li said, pointing out that this did not include charter flights.

The announcements were made at the second Straits Forum held in Xiamen of East China's Fujian province and immediately take effect.

The Straits Forum, held annually as a platform for grassroots organizations to communicate on cross-Straits issues, was co-hosted by nine cities in Fujian and had more than 10,000 Taiwan guests in attendance.

Organizers said about 80 percent of the Taiwan participants this year would be non-officials, with more than 60 percent from central and southern Taiwan.

Jia Qinglin, the country's top political advisor, called for increased exchanges between the mainland and Taiwan.

Acknowledging that some Taiwan people still insufficiently understand and, at times, misunderstand, the mainland, Jia said "the more people who cross the Straits, the easier it will be for the two sides to resolve the problems that impede the development of cross-Straits ties".

Wang Yi, head of the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, also called for broad-based participation in cross-Straits exchanges, regardless of "regional, party or ideological differences".

"Cross-Straits exchanges should expand from trade and economics to other fields, from cities to rural areas and from the northern part of Taiwan to the southern part of the island. Participants in these exchanges should include people at the grassroots level of society," Wang said.

Chuang Chi-wang, Kaohsiung city council speaker, expressed his hope for an enhanced relationship between the mainland and southern Taiwan.

A record 5.4 million people from mainland and Taiwan traveled across the Straits last year, including 330,000 Taiwan people who had never visited the mainland before.

The number of mainland tourists traveling to Taiwan is expected to hit one million in 2010, according to the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office.

Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA)

Both Jia and Wang said the ECFA, a historic economic pact similar to a free trade deal currently under discussion between the mainland and Taiwan, will benefit the economic development of both the mainland and the island.

Zheng Lizhong, deputy head of the Taiwan Affairs Office, said the agreement is still under negotiation.

A Kuomintang official told China Daily the agreement is in the final stages of preparation and will, hopefully, be signed in the near future.

Zhu Xingxin and Xinhua contributed to this story.

CHINA DAILY

(China Daily 06/21/2010 page3)