A Chinese mainland spokeswoman said Saturday that it was possible the mainland's Taiwan affairs chief Wang Yi would visit the island if the time and circumstances were appropriate.

"A Taiwan visit by Wang Yi and [his counterpart] Lai Shin-yuan's visit to the mainland are both possible if the time is right and conditions permit," said Fan Liqing, spokeswoman of the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, at a regular press conference in Beijing.

Wang serves as director of the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office as well as the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

Fan said Wang had expressed his wish to visit the island in an earlier interview with Taiwan's media in March.

Commenting on Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou's idea of reaching a peace agreement with the mainland, Fan said the mainland would continue cross-Straits negotiations on a step-by-step basis and follow principles of "easy things first and then difficult ones" and "economic issues first and then political ones."