Mainland authorities have granted first-grade licences to 37 senior architects from Taiwan and they are now allowed to apply for official registration and practice in the mainland, according to an official with the Ministry of Housing and Urban and Rural Construction.

But this case is a special arrangement, since the examination and licensing systems of the two sides are quite different, said Wang Suqing, director of the Construction Market Supervision Department and head of the National Administration for Licensed Architects, at Wednesday's press conference sponsored by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.

The authorities are studying specific measures to help other Taiwan architects obtain a mainland licence, she said.

Architects who want to work in the mainland must send an application on their own; need to be employed by a mainland-based agency, no matter whether its Chinese-funded or foreign-funded; and have worked in architectural design in the mainland for at least one year within the past three years, according to official regulations.

The mainland welcomes Taiwan architects who are able, skillful, and willing to work in the mainland, the official said.

(Xinhua News Agency January 7, 2009)