BEIJING, June 12: China and Taiwan agreed on Thursday to set up their first ever offices in each other’s territories, as they began historic talks aimed at consolidating a dramatic rapprochement and building trade ties.

Both sides said the restart of the dialogue, which China suspended a decade ago as relations between the long-time rivals plummeted, would be able to serve as a platform for further improving ties.

“As long as we have mutual trust and understanding... these talks are going to become an important communication mechanism for cross-strait development,”said chief Chinese envoy Chen Yunlin.

In another significant development, the two sides decided to start direct charter flights, paving the way for more mainlanders to visit Taiwan.

The talks got off to a positive start, with the two semi-official bodies involved in the negotiations agreeing to establish bureaus in each other’s territories and Chen accepting an invitation to visit Taiwan this year.

The bodies represent China and Taiwan in direct talks since the two sides have no formal diplomatic relations.

The offices will be initially tasked with mainly visa procedures for an expected increase in cross-strait travel, according to press reports in China and Taiwan.

But the Taiwanese body involved in the talks, the Straits Exchange Foundation, expressed optimism that the organisations would facilitate more than just visa applications.

“The two associations should push forward for the full normalisation of trade and culture exchanges,” the foundation said in a statement.

No date was announced for when the offices would be set up.

Chief Taiwan envoy Chiang Pin-kun told reporters that an agreement would be signed on Friday to establish direct charter flights between the two sides, paving the way for more mainland tourists to visit the island.

About 600 mainland tourists as well as Chinese officials would be among the first passengers on the direct flights, earlier reports said.

Six airlines from each side were authorised to operate the routes while the number of flights was expected to increase to 72 after the Beijing Olympics in August, according to a media report.

Except for national holidays, people wanting to travel the less than 200 kilometres from the mainland currently have to make a stopover in Hong Kong.

As many as 3,000 Chinese tourists a day would be allowed to fly to Taiwan, under plans first published in the Taiwanese press and carried in China’s state-run media on Thursday.

Taiwan has previously said it would like the first of these visitors to arrive in the island on July 4.

Chiang also told reporters that Taiwan had proposed “the common exploration for gas in the Taiwan Strait”.

“While a lot of people are concerned about global climate change, we want to use exchanges and talks to include joint exploration,” he told reporters.

Chiang said the Chinese had asked for Taiwanese expertise on earthquake reconstruction and had reiterated their wish to offer Taiwan some pandas.

The talks resumed as part of a dramatic warming in relations that began with the election of Ma Ying-jeou as Taiwan’s president in March.

Ma and his Kuomintang party swept to power promising closer ties with China, following eight years of tensions across the strait as his predecessor Chen Shui-bian tried to steer the island closer toward independence.—AFP