About 60 KMT representatives will attend the discussions. Hu will appear before the discussions for official photographs to be taken, Tseng said.

The two parties are also scheduling a confidential talk between Hu and Lien on April 15. Details concerning the talk have not been settled, according to the report. It will be the second meet between the two after their historic meeting in April 2005.

During his visit to the mainland, Lien will also visit a cenotaph of Dr. Sun Yat-sen in Beijing's Xiangshan. He will go to his hometown of Zhangzhou in Fujian Province to worship his ancestors after visiting Shanghai, Hangzhou, Fuzhou and Xiamen.

An estimated 300 participants, including officials from both parties and representatives of enterprises, academic and research organizations from both sides will be present at the first cross-strait economic and trade forum, beginning April 14 in Beijing, the report said.

In April last year, a KMT delegation led by Lien paid a visit to the mainland. It was the first in 56 years since the People's Republic of China was established.