The Chinese mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) president Chen Yunlin holds talks Tuesday morning with the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) chairman Chiang Pin-kung.

The heads of the two main negotiating bodies of the Chinese mainland and Taiwan at their first ever summit in Taipei on Tuesday signed agreements on direct shipping and flights, mail services and food safety.

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The mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) president, Chen Yunlin, and the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) chairman, Chiang Pin-kung, also discussed an increase in the number of mainland tourists to Taiwan, joint efforts to deal with the global financial crisis, and expanding the economic exchanges.

The ARATS and the SEF agreed to open direct shipping services and set up direct air routes across the Taiwan Straits. They also agreed to start chartered cargo flights, increase the destinations and frequency of chartered flights, and expand their services from weekend to weekdays.

Direct flights between Taipei and Beijing would only take two hours, and between Taipei and Shanghai about 80 minutes.

Under the agreements, direct mail services, including letter and parcel deliveries, express mail and postal remittances, will be available across the straits, while other postal services will also be strengthened.

Chen Yunlin (L), president of the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), signs an agreement with Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman P.K. Chiang during a cross-Straits meeting signing ceremony at the Grand Hotel in Taipei November 4, 2008. Top officials from Taiwan and the mainland signed deals on daily direct flights, new cargo routes and food safety on Tuesday during Beijing's highest-level visit to the island in decades. [China Daily/Agencies]

Both sides will provide each other with food safety updates and food trade information, and establish a mechanism to deal with major food safety incidents.

"With the four agreements, direct transport and mail services that compatriots on both sides have been longing for over the past 30 years have become a reality, and will provide more convenient channels for cross-Straits economic exchanges," said Chen.

Chen said the ARATS and the SEF would focus on discussions about cross-Straits financial collaboration in the next stage of talks, while expanding cultural and social exchanges would also be on the agenda.