An agency has been established on the mainland to facilitate the handling of petitions of Taiwan businessmen, a central government spokesman said in Beijing Wednesday.

"The establishment of the petitions coordination bureau, under the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, shows the mainland attaches great importance to the protection of the rights and interests of Taiwan businessmen," said Li Weiyi, spokesman of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, at a routine press conference.

He said it is also one of the major measures taken by the mainland to implement the consensus reached between the CPC and the Taiwan-based Chinese Kuomintang party and People First Party.

Source: Xinhua