Kuomintang (KMT) delegations from various Taiwan cities on Friday were well received in east mainland's Qingdao City and south mainland's Shenzhen City.

The visits were part of a program suggested by Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and Lien Chan, former head of KMT, in April to promote the relations between the two parties. Twelve cities from both sides of the Taiwan Straits were chosen to start the exchanges.

In Qingdao, a delegation of 34 Kuomintang party members from Changhua of Taiwan started its six-day visit.

The delegation on Friday was engaged in talks with officials in Qingdao concerning business, trade, farm produce, education and religion.

Xu Fuming, head of the delegation and a key member of KMT Changhua commission, said that Changhua is known for its agriculture. Leading agricultural officials in the delegation are interested in selling Taiwan fruits to the mainland and cooperating with Qingdao to develop farm produce.

The delegation will visit farms, fruit markets, and food processing companies in Qingdao.

Meanwhile, in Shenzhen, a delegation of 38 KMT members from the Taiwan city of Tainan was received by secretary of the CPC Shenzhen?Municipal Committee Li Hongzhong.

There are more than 100,000 Taiwan compatriots working and living in Shenzhen, which is home to 4,017 Taiwan-funded companies. The delegation will visit a few companies, wharfs, newspaper offices, residential communities and tourist facilities during their five-day visit.

Also on Friday, the Central Committee of the KMT sent a message to the Central Committee of the CPC and Hu Jintao, expressing thanks for their congratulatory message on the opening of the KMT's 17th party congress.

The message says, "We received a congratulatory message from you on the opening day of the KMT's 17th party congress. All delegates to the congress, the KMT Central Committee and KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou all express our thanks to you."

"The congress has unanimously approved the inclusion of the "common aspiration and prospects for cross-Straits peace and development", reached between our two parties on April 29, in the policy platform of our party to make them the basis and objectives of the KMT's policies on relations across the Taiwan Straits," notes the message.

"In so doing, we hope to go on advancing and bringing about stability in cross-Straits situation, promote the growth of cross-Straits relations and jointly work for the future of the Chinese nation," the message says.

The CPC Central Committee sent a message to the KMT Central Committee and KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou on Aug. 19 conveying its congratulations on the convocation of the KMT's 17th party congress.

On Friday in Xiamen, a scenic city?of Fujian Province, the first Cross-Straits Symposium on Agricultural and Biological Technology opened.

About 100 prominent biotechnology and environmental protection experts from Taiwan Province and the mainland are participating in the meeting, according to the organization committee.

During the three-day symposium, about 20 experts will give lectures on their biological and environmental research.

The participants will also discuss topics such as international research trends in agriculture and biotechnology, the industrialization of agriculture and agricultural policies.

In addition, an exposition on butterflies and ecological technology will be held and some agricultural and biological programs will be put forward by companies on ecological security, biological agriculture and food security from Taiwan.???

(Xinhua News Agency August 27, 2005)