Taipei mayor begins first visit to Beijing

Taipei Mayor Hao Lung-bin has begun a four-day visit to Beijing. It's the first time he has visited the capital since he took the position. The mayor plans to promote Taipei's shopping and tourism during his visit.

He will take part in the "2014 Taipei shopping festival" and the Beijing International Tourism Expo. And he also plans to visit the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council and the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait.

On Sunday, the mayor is expected to meet the mainland's chief of Taiwan affairs Zhang Zhijun, after Zhang wraps up his visit to Taiwan. Hao Lung-bin said the mainland's Taiwan affairs chief's visit will help promote cross-strait relations.