TAIPEI -- The president of the Chinese mainland-based Association for Relations across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) Chen Deming arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday noon to start a 8-day visit to the island.

As part of annual exchanges between ARATS and the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), Chen's trip includes seeing Taiwan's agriculture, bio-technology, green tourism, volunteer groups and senior citizen welfare sectors.

On Tuesday afternoon, Chen visited Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and a rental residential complex built by Chang Gung for senior citizens in nearby Taoyuan.

Chen's counterpart Lin Join-sane, chairman of the SEF, will host a dinner in honor of the guests around 6 pm in Taipei.