Mainland official meets Taiwan Buddhist group

BEIJING, Sept. 6 -- Zhang Zhijun, the Chinese mainland's Taiwan affairs chief, has encouraged more cross-Strait exchanges among Buddhist groups.

Zhang, head of both the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office (SCTAO), made the remarks while meeting a Buddhist delegation from Taiwan on Monday, according to an SCTAO statement.

During the meeting, Zhang stressed the close bond between religious groups on both sides of the Strait, as well as the good faith needed to ensure the peaceful development of cross-Strait ties on the basis of the 1992 Consensus.