BEIJING - Residents of Taiwan will be allowed to register individual businesses in the Chinese mainland's nine provincial regions, a mainland spokesman said Wednesday.

The regions -- Beijing, Chongqing, Fujian, Guangdong, Hubei, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Sichuan and Zhejiang -- will open registration to Taiwanese businesses in the catering services and retail industries from January 1 next year, Yang Yi, a spokesman for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a regular press briefing.

Yang also said the first batch of 3,100 kg of fresh pears from Taiwan have been selling well on the mainland since the mainland decided to open its market to pears from Taiwan starting Dec 14.