Chen Yunlin (right), President of the Chinese mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), greets Chiang Pin-kun, Chairman of Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), in Beijing on June 12 before the first cross-straits talks in nine years.

The ARATS and SEF are authorized nongovernmental organizations engaged in talks on issues related to exchanges across the Taiwan Straits.

In consultations following the Chen-Chiang talks, both organizations agreed to launch chartered flights on weekends across the Taiwan Straits as of July 4 and allow mainland tourists to visit Taiwan as of July 18.