BEIJING, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland's Taiwan affairs chief Wang Yi Thursday urged media organizations across the Taiwan Strait to play a positive role and contribute to the advancement of cross-Strait exchanges.

    Wang Yi, director of the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks in a meeting with a group of Taiwan media representatives led by Chiang Pin-kung, chairman of the island's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF).

    Wang, also head of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said both sides across the Taiwan Strait need to enhance their communications and build mutual trust so as to better serve the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.

    As an important bridge connecting people at both sides, media organizations should fulfill their duties and play a more positive and important role in cross-Strait communication, Wang said.

    Economic issues will remain to be the focus of talks in the near future between the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) and Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), two organizations authorized to handle cross-Strait issues, he said.

    Wang pledged to continue mainland's support for enhanced cooperation between ARATS and SEF and said cooperation in educational and cultural sectors will gradually be added in their negotiations.

    In the meeting, Chiang Pin-kung called on media organizations at both sides to strengthen their cooperation and contribute to the promotion of mutual understanding between people at both sides.

    SEF is willing to carry out negotiations with ARATS and promote the establishment of cooperative frameworks in the fields of cultural exchange and news coverage, he said.