Beijing's Party chief Guo Jinlong met a delegation led by Lien Chan, Kuomintang (KMT) honorary chairman, after their tour to rural areas and suburban districts, as well as to downtown communities in Beijing on Tuesday, Beijing Daily reported.

Guo gave a warm welcome to the delegates and expressed his appreciation of the communication and cooperation between the city and Taiwan, such as economic forums and cultural exchanges. The municipal government will provide a better service for investors, tourists and students from Taiwan as well as encourage more local enterprises to invest in Taiwan, with the hope of bringing more benefits to both sides.

The KMT Party's vice chairmans Lin Feng-cheng and John Chiang, as well as Zheng Lizhong, executive vice president of the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) and Lien’s wife, Lien Fangyu, were present at the meeting.

Beforehand, the delegation visited Guajiayu, a demonstration village, to see the construction of a new socialist countryside in Pinggu district, and Anhuili Community in downtown Beijing's Chaoyang district to experience the local citizens’ wonderful life of leisure activities. The community is known for its high-quality all-encompassing services for residents, especially for the cultivation of the arts. It has a number of folk art groups that have made a name both at home and abroad.

The delegation was impressed by a fascinating stroll down a street at the far end of East Chang'an Avenue in Gaobeidian, which is full of warehouses and showrooms of reproductions of classic furniture and antiques.