Fan Liqing

BEIJING, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese mainland said Wednesday that it welcomed Taiwan authorities' move to ease restrictions on mainland media.

"We welcome all moves to improve media exchanges across the Taiwan Strait," said Fan Liqing, spokeswoman with the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, at a press conference here.

The mainland and Taiwan should work together to solve problems that media people from both sides concern most, she said. "We should do it step by step, address easy ones first and then the hard ones."

Taiwan authorities Tuesday increased the staff quota of each mainland media organization on the island from two correspondents to five.

Mainland correspondents posted on the island also no longer need to inform Taiwan's information authorities before making interview trips, according to the island's mainland affairs council.

"The two sides should also work hard to enable media organizations to set up residence bureaus on each other's sides asearly as possible," Fan said. "Media people on both sides have been looking forward to it. This is a basic arrangement for their news reporting."

On Tuesday, Taiwan authorities also allowed mainland journalists to rent residence. Before, they were required to live in hotels.

Currently, five mainland media groups of the central level and two media organizations from coastal Fujian Province have posted their reporters on the island.

Mainland journalists usually stay in Taiwan for three months and can extend to six months after application. The mainland also allows the maximum six-month stay for Taiwan reporters and they are allowed to rent residence on the mainland.