The Central Committee of the Kuomintang (KMT) and KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hisung sent congratulatory letters Tuesday night to two new mainland officials for Taiwan affairs, Taiwan media reported on Wednesday.

Wang Yi was appointed as director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council and the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on Tuesday, replacing Chen Yunlin .

The Central Committee of the KMT sent a letter to Wang, hoping that Wang could further develop the conciliatory, harmonious and peaceful relationship between the two sides across the Taiwan Strait.

On Tuesday, the State Council ended Wang's post as vice foreign minister and Chen's post as director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.

Also, Chen was elected on Tuesday as the chief of the mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS).

Wu sent a congratulatory letter in his name to Chen, noting Chen had held the post of the Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee for 12 years and was familiar with Taiwan affairs.

Wu expressed confidence that Chen would continue to contribute to peaceful, stable cross-Strait relations after being elected ARATS chief.

ARATS, which was set up on Dec. 16, 1991, was previously headed by Wang Daohan, who died in December 2005.

Since then, the chairman's position has been vacant.

(Xinhua News Agency June 4, 2008)