Taipei  - Taiwan's top negotiator in talks with China said Tuesday that he will invite his mainland counterpart to visit the island.

Chiang Ping-kun, chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation, said that when he attends the upcoming dialogue in Beijing, he will invite Chen Yunlin, chairman of China's Association for Relations across the Taiwan Strait, to visit Taiwan at a time suitable to Chen.

If Chen visits Taiwan, he will be the highest-ranking Chinese official to visit Taiwan since 1949 when Taiwan and China split at the end of the Chinese Civil War.

Chiang will fly to Beijing Wednesday for the second historic dialogue between Taiwan and China. The dialogue was first held in 1993 but China suspended it in 1998 to retaliate against Taiwan leaders' advocating independence. (dpa)