China's culture minister arrived in Taiwan Thursday for a week-long visit, signalling further warming in the island's relations with its bitter rival.

Cai Wu became the highest-ranking Chinese official to visit Taiwan in 12 years, a trip made possible after the two sides began mending fences in 2008 and started a series of exchanges and cooperation programmes.

'I hope my visit can further promote cross-strait cultural exchanges and peaceful development,' Cai said.

Taiwan and Beijing, at odds since the two sides split at the end of a civil war in 1949, held groundbreaking talks in China in June 2008, one month after the Chinese Nationalist Party's Ma Ying-jeou became president and instigated a policy of engagement with the mainland.

Ma's predecessor, the Democratic Progressive Party's Chen Shui-bian, advocated formal independence for the island during his eight-year presidency.

Beijing, which considers Taiwan a Chinese territory that must be reintegrated eventually, has warned that it would attack Taiwan should it declare independence.

The last Chinese minister to visit Taiwan was then-science and technology minister Zhu Lilan in 1998 after several rounds of talks while the Chinese Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang, was in power in Taipei.

Cai was scheduled to visit the National Palace Museum and attend a seminar on cross-Taiwan Strait cultural promotion.

He was expected to meet his counterpart, Emile Sheng of the Council for Cultural Affairs, and was scheduled to return to Beijing Wednesday.