Taipei  - Taiwan and China held talks Saturday to prepare for an upcoming dialogue to promote cross-strait links.

Several documents are to be drafted at the talks that are to be signet at a summit to be held in late May in Nanjing, China. It would be the fourth Taipei-Beijing dialogue since 1993 and the third since President Ma Ying-jeou took office in May.

Opening Saturday's talks, Kao Kung-lian - vice chairman of Taiwan's Strait Exchange Foundation, which represents Taiwan with China in the absence of formal relations - said the previous two dialogues have resulted in opening sea links and allowing Chinese tourists to visit Taiwan.

"I hope the two sides can promote ties and exchanges by shelving differences and on the basis of mutual respect," he said.

Zheng Lizhong - vice chairman of China's Association for Relations across the Taiwan Strait, the counterpart to Taiwan's foundation - said he hoped that Beijing and Taipei could boost cooperation and trust and jointly tackle the world economic crisis.

The two sides plan to draft pacts at the talks on direct air links, financial cooperation, judicial cooperation and Chinese investment in Taiwan.

Saturday's talks might also touch on an economic cooperation framework agreement, similar to a free trade agreement, which the two sides hope to sign at their fourth cross-strait dialogue.

Taiwan and China have been split since 1949 when the Chinese Nationalist government lost the Chinese Civil War and fled to Taiwan to set up a government-in-exile.

Cross-strait tensions began to thaw in the late 1980s, allowing Taiwan and China to hold their first dialogue in Singapore in 1993 and a dozen follow-up talks. China halted the talks in 1995 to retaliate against former president Lee Teng-hui's promotion of Taiwan's independence.

Beijing agreed to resume the dialogue only after Ma from Taiwan's pro-China Chinese Nationalist Party became president last year.

China, which sees Taiwan as its breakaway province, wants the dialogue to pave the way for Taiwan's reunification with the mainland.

But Ma, while seeking peace with China, has insisted that Taiwan is a sovereign country currently recognized by 23 nations and Taiwan's future must be decided by its 23 million citizens. (dpa)