BEIJING -- The Chinese mainland remains positive and open about a possible meeting between leaders on both sides of the Taiwan Straits, a mainland spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

Fan Liqing, State Council Taiwan Affairs Office spokeswoman, told a press conference that the mainland remains positive and open as long as a meeting is conducive to the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations.

Fan was responding to a question about the timing of a possible meeting between Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Ma Ying-jeou, chairman of Kuomintang.

In a press conference held on Oct 16, Fan was asked whether Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou should attend the informal economic leaders' meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation next year in Beijing. She said that the two sides should arrange meetings between their leaders independently, rather than piggy-backing on international occasions.