BEIJING - The Chinese mainland will continue to safeguard the legitimate interests of Taiwanese businesses and work to ensure their development in a long-term and sustainable manner, the mainland's top Taiwan affairs official said Friday.

Wang Yi, director of the Taiwan Work Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), said his office will work with all levels of government administrations and organs to help Taiwanese tackle difficulties in business.

Faced with a new situation in 2012, the Chinese mainland will adhere to its policies on the work of Taiwan and continue to promote the peaceful development of relations across the Taiwan Strait, said Wang, who is also director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.

Economic cooperation will remain to be the priority in the development of cross-Strait relations in 2012, while cross-Strait exchanges in culture and education will be expanded, in a bid to boost mutual understanding between the two sides, Wang told participants at a gala.

Not long ago, cross-Strait relations withstood a severe test in Taiwan. Facts have proved that peaceful development of cross-Strait relations is becoming the will of most people in Taiwan, and an increasing number of Taiwan people have begun to recognize the importance of the "1992 Consensus."

It is expected that more political forces and people of vision in Taiwan will join hands in boycotting and opposing the "Taiwan independence," he said.

Wang said he hoped more political forces and people of vision in Taiwan could recognize and adhere to the "1992 Consensus," and participate in and support the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.

The "1992 Consensus" is the basis and prerequisite for improving the relations and promoting negotiations across the Taiwan Strait, he said.

Only the peaceful development of the cross-Strait relations conforms to the common aspirations of people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and is in the fundamental interest of the Chinese nation, he said.

The "1992 Consensus" is an agreement reached between the mainland and Taiwan in 1992 which states that both sides adhere to the one-China principle. The consensus has served as a political foundation for cross-strait dialogues over the past three years.

At the gala, Wang also praised the contributions made by Taiwanese business people to mainland's economic progress as well as the improvement of cross-Strait relations.

Guangzhou Jia Yu medical equipment Limited