Xi Jinping (R), general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu on Monday, May 4, 2015 in Beijing. This has been Chu's first visit to the mainland since he was elected KMT chairman in January. [Photo/CNS]

BEIJING - Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu in Beijing on Monday.

The meeting took place in the Great Hall of the People and is the first between Xi and Chu, drawing broad attention and expectations.

It is part of Chu's first visit to the mainland since he was elected KMT chairman in January. He met with Yu Zhengsheng, top political advisor and member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, on Saturday and attended the 10th Cross-Strait Economic, Trade and Culture Forum in Shanghai on Sunday.

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Xi Jinping, the head of the Communist Party of China, and Eric Chu, the head Taiwan's ruling Kuomintang party, are due to meet in Beijing on Monday to discuss cross-Straits relations. On Sunday, Chu led a delegation to attend the Cross-Straits Economic, Trade and Culture Forum in Shanghai, where he met the mainland's top political adviser Yu Zhengsheng.

The 53-year-old Chu assumed office in January, as his predecessor Ma Ying-jeou resigned after the KMT's massive defeat in the biggest-ever local elections in November. The meeting with Xi is expected to deepen the communication between the leaders of the two parties and will help build on the positive momentum that has been created over the last decade, which has witnessed frequent high level exchanges between the CPC and KMT, including three official meetings held by their top leaders.