President of the Chinese mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) Chen Yunlin yesterday encouraged Taiwan businesses to actively cope with the current difficulties and seek further expansion in the mainland.

At a symposium with the Taiwan business people in Dongguan City of southern Guangdong Province, Chen said the worsening global financial crisis has severely affected the world economy and brought daunting challenges to the economic development of both Taiwan and the mainland.

The central government has paid great attention to Taiwan businesses' calls and helped them weather the crisis, and has raised the export tax rebate rate three times this year, Chen said.

Meanwhile, the current peaceful development of cross-Strait ties has created a favorable environment for the trade and economy, he said, expressing the belief that these businesses' development in the mainland would have an even brighter future and encouraging them to work with the mainland side to overcome the hardship.

The business people promised that under the support of local governments, they would make use of the favorable conditions and explore new means for the enterprises' development.

Also yesterday, Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman Chiang Pin-kung said in Jinmen that he would visit the Taiwan business people in the mainland next spring to give them support.