BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhuanet) -- Chen Yunlin, director of the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, announced here Friday that mainland will offer more conveniences to Taiwan compatriots.

    In the announcement, Chen, who also heads the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said the conveniences include simplifying procedures of entry and exit for Taiwan compatriots' travel to the mainland, reducing tuition for students from Taiwan at the mainland universities and easing requirements on Taiwan compatriots who seek to work on the mainland.

    In recent years, Chen said, the mainland side has continuously adopted policies facilitating entry and exit of Taiwan compatriotsto and from the mainland, accommodating Taiwan students on the mainland and encouraging Taiwan professionals to work on the mainland.

    Taiwan compatriots, who are investing and running business on the mainland, and their spouses and children as well as Taiwan students, can apply for documents for multiple entries and exits that are valid from one to five years.

    Fujian Provincial Bureau of Public Security can issue five-yearpass to travel to the mainland for residents in Jinmen, Mazu and Penghu as well as other Taiwan compatriots who are working and studying on the mainland.

    The education authorities have removed age limits for Taiwan students who are applying for mainland universities. Individual universities can set their own entrance standards. The tuition of Taiwan students who are in mainland graduate schools have been reduced.

    Authorities concerned also allowed Taiwan compatriots to sit inprofessional qualification tests for physicians, registered accountants and others.

    All these policies are widely welcomed by Taiwan compatriots, Chen said.

    As personnel exchange and trade and economic cooperation acrossthe Straits are more frequent and more Taiwan compatriots choose to work or study on the mainland, Chen said, authorities concernedhave decided to take further steps facilitating entry and exit of Taiwan compatriots to and from the mainland.

    Firstly, those who stay on the mainland for more than one year can be issued residence stamps that are valid from one to five years. Taiwan compatriots who have such residence stamps need no entry or exit stamps when they travel. For those who come for shorter stays on the mainland, they can be granted multiple entries valid for one year.

    Secondly, Fujian Provincial Bureau of Public Security is authorized to issue one-year-valid multiple entries to residents in Jinmen, Mazu and Penghu.

    Thirdly, Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Public Security and Jiangsu Provincial Bureau of Public Security are authorized to reissue Taiwan Compatriot's Pass to the Mainland for those who lost their documents or whose documents have expired. Enditem