(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-06-13 10:28

BEIJING  -- The Chinese mainland and Taiwan signed a landmark agreement on Friday to allow mainland tourists to travel in Taiwan from next month.

The agreement, taking effect from June 20, will see the first tourist group arrive in Taiwan on July 18.

The two sides set a quota for the number of tourists in line with Taiwan's accommodation capacity and may be adjusted next year.

"A maximum of 3,000 mainland tourstis can travel to Taiwan every day," the agreement says.

In the meantime, only groups of 10 to 40 tourists are allowed to travel to Taiwan, according to the agreement.

It also prescribes a maximum stay of 10 days for each group.

The mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait chairman Chen Yunlin and the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation chairman Chiang Pin-kun signed the agreement around 9 a.m. on Friday.

The ARATS and SEF resumed talks for the first time in nine years on Thursday.