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Beijing: Meeting for the first formal talks in nearly a decade, Taiwan and China agreed on Thursday to set up permanent offices in each other's territory to coordinate continuing contacts.
A spokeswoman from Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation said a consensus on the move had been reached during talks between the sides on Thursday morning in Beijing.
The spokeswoman said a formal announcement would be made later.
Cited by China's official Xinhua agency, foundation Deputy Secretary-General Pang Chien-kuo implied the offices could perform some consular functions, saying they would "facilitate people's exchanges and traveling across the Strait."
Meanwhile, the head of the Taiwanese team, Chiang Pin-kung, said the negotiations should lay the foundation for "a long-term peaceful relationship between the two sides."
His Chinese counterpart, Chen Yunlin, said the public on both sides were counting on the talks to produce results and alter the often combative tone between the two governments.
"Whether cross-strait relations can improve, depends on whether our negotiations can proceed smoothly," Chen said.
Chen has also accepted Chiang's invitation to visit Taiwan later this year, Xiinhua said.
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