TAIPEI: Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou’s positive talks with China this weekend will bring the island and the mainland closer together as bilateral ties continue to flourish, an official said today. Both sides are making final preparations for the meeting on Sunday in the Chinese city Nanjing, said Chiang Pin-kung, the land’s top envoy dealing with the mainland, who leaves for China on Saturday. “The president thinks the third round of talks would be of significance in the improvement of cross-Strait ties,” Chiang, chairman of the quasi-official Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), told reporters. Sunday’s meeting aims to build on talks held in Beijing in June, the first direct dialogue between the two sides after a 10-year long gap. That led to the launch of regular direct flights across the Taiwan Strait and measures to boost tourism in a significant step for both sides. The two rivals then signed a range of follow-up deals here in November aimed at bringing them closer economically. More direct flights will also be on the agenda.