The mainland said on Wednesday that it will continue pushing forward dialogue and consultation with Taiwan in the new year by "firmly holding the main theme of peaceful development of the cross-Straits relations".

Yang Yi, spokesman of the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, made the remark at a press conference here.

Yang spoke highly of the recent speech of Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, at a Dec. 31 workshop to mark the 30th anniversary of the mainland's "Message to Compatriots in Taiwan".

Hu's speech summed up 30 years' experience in developing cross-Straits relations in a comprehensive way, and he made a series of new proposals to develop the relationship, according to the official.

"This important speech is of great significance for us to accomplish Taiwan-related work and open up a new situation in the peaceful development of the cross-Straits relations," the official said.

Yang discussed progress in developing cross-Straits ties in 2008.

Last year, the ties began entering the track of peaceful development as the pro-independence force failed in a "memorandum" on Taiwan joining the United Nations.

Also, the Taiwan situation showed positive changes, he said, without further elaboration.

Last year, the two sides lifted a decades-long ban on direct trade, mail and transport links; Taiwan compatriots gave selfless support to the quake survivors in the mainland; a pair of pandas arrived in Taiwan as a mainland gift and the mainland announced new measures to deepen cross-Straits cooperation and deal with the global financial crisis, according to the official.

The spokesman said that the mainland has always attached great importance to giving financial assistance to Taiwan-funded companies in the mainland. As of the end of 2007, mainland banks had lent more than 700 billion yuan (102 billion U.S. dollars) to such companies.

Three mainland banks have also agreed to offer 130 billion yuan in new loans to Taiwan-funded companies in the next two or three years.

(Xinhua News Agency January 7, 2009)