Taiwan experts place high hopes on the upcoming visit of Zhang Zhijun, Chinese mainland's chief of Taiwan affairs, to the island for the time in late June.

Chang Ya-chung, professor with the Department of Political Science under Taiwan University, told Xinhua that Zhang's visit would help set up an institutional platform to exchange visits by cross-Strait affairs officials, which is conducive to the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.

Cheng You-ping, professor with the Department of Public Administration and Policy of Taipei University, said that the general trend of cross-Strait peaceful development has not been affected much by the delay of the service trade pact, and people-to-people trade exchanges across the Strait has been under steady growth.

Zhang's visit, "to our great joy," would promote interactions among the people from both sides, Cheng added.

Zhang Zhijun, director of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, is scheduled to meet his Taiwan counterpart Wang Yu-chi. They would exchange views on cross-Strait relations.

Zhang is expected to spend four days on the island, paying visits to New Taipei City, Taichung, Kaohsiung and Changhua County.

Wang visited the mainland in February and invited Zhang to visit Taiwan.

During Wang's visit, the two held a formal meeting in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing, the first between officials of their positions.