Li said the forum could not be convened in Taiwan as originally planned as authorities on the island would not allow mainland delegates to attend.

    The Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Kuomintang (KMT) Party had been working together to make the forum happen in Taiwan.

    "We have accepted the suggestion by the KMT Party to hold a series of cross-Strait agricultural cooperation activities on the mainland," said Li.

    These activities include the forum on cross-Strait agriculture cooperation which will be held from Oct. 17 to 18 in Bo'ao, Hainan Province and an exhibition on cross-Strait agricultural cooperation achievements, which will be held in Xiamen, Fujian Province on Oct. 19. Taiwan delegates will also be invited to inspect some pilot agricultural projects in Shandong, Guangdong and Guangxi.

    Li condemned Taiwan authorities for again putting obstacles in the way of cross-Strait economic and trade exchanges, saying that currently more than 2,200 kinds of mainland commodities are forbidden to enter Taiwan. Mainland enterprises are also prohibited from investing or running businesses in Taiwan.

    "The discriminatory practices of Taiwan authorities have become the leading obstacles hindering the cross-Strait economy and trade and were questioned by members of the World Trade Organization," said Li.

    "We hope the Taiwan authorities will lift the discriminating restrictions as soon as possible and allow non-governmental organizations across the Taiwan Strait to negotiate on economic and trade cooperation, so as to finally normalize cross-Strait trade", he said. Enditem  

Taiwan's attempt to get into UN a "dangerous" step

    BEIJING, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- China said here Wednesday that an attempt by Taiwan authorities to gain accession to the United Nations is a "dangerous" step.

    Li Weiyi, spokesman of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, told a news briefing that such an attempt is a "new" and "dangerous" step made by the Taiwan leader who continues to push secession and exposes his intention to speed up secessionist activities.

Mainland hopes Taiwan can preserve social stability

    BEIJING, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese official expressed hope here Wednesday that Taiwan can preserve its stability amid protests demanding the resignation of the island's leader Chen Shui-bian.

    Li Weiyi, spokesman of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said at a news briefing "We have taken note of relevant reports" from local media about the protest, and "We do not want to see unfortunate events occur."

Related:

Tickets available for mainland-Taiwan charter flights

    SHANGHAI, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- Two Shanghai-based airlines announced on Monday that they would begin selling tickets for the first chartered flights between Taiwan and the Chinese mainland during the Mid-Autumn Festival, a traditional Chinese holiday for family reunion, on Wednesday.

    China Eastern Airlines and Shanghai Airlines Co., Ltd will operate return flights between Shanghai and Taiwan on Sept. 30 and Oct. 7, while Taiwan airlines will operate the other eight flights.

Mainland urges early setup of travel service in Taiwan

    BEIJING, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The mainland hopes to see a non-governmental travel organization set up and operating in Taiwan as soon as possible, an official in charge of Taiwan affairs said here Sunday.

    The spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office under the State Council told Xinhua that the mainland's policy has been to promote trips to Taiwan by mainland tourists.

1st Taiwan-Mainland direct cargo flight lands in Shanghai

    SHANGHAI, July 20 (Xinhua) -- The first direct cargo charter flight from Taiwan touched down in Shanghai early Thursday morning, marking a breakthrough in cross-Strait relations since 1949.

    A Boeing 747-400 from China Airlines, Taiwan's largest air carrier, landed in Pudong International Airport at 0:33 a.m. Thursday after just over two hours and 10 minutes, bringing 61 tons of chip equipment to a factory established by a Taiwan company.