Nearly 40 scholars across the Taiwan Straits gathered at a workshop in Beijing Monday to discuss the conservation and development of cross-Strait ethnic minority cultures.

Liu Baoming, director of a research center under the State Ethnic Affairs Commission (SEAC), said the workshop was a "hard-won" opportunity for experts to study the challenges and problems encountered by ethnic minority groups from both Taiwan and the mainland in education, language and culture protection.

Tsay Chung-han, an expert from Taiwan, said exchanges between ethnic groups across the Strait have increased in recent years.

Activities mainly focused on sports, tourism and cultural performances rather than academic exchanges, Tsay said. He hoped the cross-Strait academic exchanges and cooperation would expand.

The two-day event was initiated by SEAC's ethnic affairs research center.

(Xinhua News Agency April 4, 2006)