First Straits talks in 9 years to boost ties

Negotiators from both sides of the Taiwan Straits will hold talks from tomorrow, the first in more than nine years, rekindling hopes of closer ties.

A 19-member delegation from Taiwan, led by the island's chief mainland negotiator Chiang Pin-kun, is scheduled to arrive in Beijing for the landmark talks.

The meeting will focus on cross-Straits chartered flights over weekends that can start as early as July and increasing the number of mainland travelers to the island.