Senior KMT official in China

A senior member of nationalist Kuomintang party in Taiwan is making a landmark trip to China.

The vice chairman, Wu Po-hsiung, is its highest ranking official to visit the mainland in fifty years.

Speaking on departure, Mr Wu said he hoped his trip would help ease tensions.

He's expected to meet the deputy prime minister, Qian Qichen, and reports say he may also meet President Jiang Zemin.

Correspondent say that although it's meant to be a low-key trip, Mr Wu's presence on the mainland and his meetings with high-ranking officials are significant. The Kuomintang party ruled Taiwan from 1949 until it lost power in presidential elections this year.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service