Chinese mainland top negotiator arrives in Taiwan

Chen Deming (L front), president of the mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS), talks with an elder during his visit to Chang Gung Culture Village in Taipei, southeast China's Taiwan, Dec. 9, 2014. Chen arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday noon to start a 8-day visit to the island. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

The president of the Chinese mainland-based Association for Relations across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) Chen Deming arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday noon to start a 8-day visit to the island.

As part of annual exchanges between ARATS and the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), Chen's trip includes seeing Taiwan's agriculture, bio-technology, green tourism, volunteer groups and senior citizen welfare sectors.

On Tuesday afternoon, Chen visited Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and a rental residential complex built by Chang Gung for senior citizens in nearby Taoyuan.

Chen's counterpart Lin Join-sane, chairman of the SEF, will host a dinner in honor of the guests around 6 p.m. in Taipei.