BEIJING, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- A mainland official on Taiwan affairs said here Wednesday that he hoped Taiwan would take "earnest measures" to ensure the safety of negotiators who are to visit the island next month.

Yang Yi, spokesman of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, told a regular press conference that he hoped Taiwan could also make sure the talks between the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) and Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) go smoothly.

Yang made the remarks when asked whether the talks would be postponed after Taiwan's opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) reportedly threatened to stage protests during the meetings.

The ARATS and the SEF are authorized by authorities in the mainland and Taiwan to handle cross-Strait issues. The two organizations are scheduled to meet in Taiwan in December for the fourth round of talks since they resumed negotiations in June last year following a 10-year suspension.

Yang said the topics for this new round of talks were all beneficial to Taiwan's economy and people's livelihoods, therefore he believed that "the talks will be supported and welcomed by Taiwan compatriots."

The new round of talks would cover labor cooperation in the fishing industry and avoidance of double taxation.