BEIJING - The Chinese mainland will support Taiwan in developing an offshore yuan market, and the two sides are negotiating a currency swap mechanism, a mainland spokeswoman said Wednesday.

According to the cross-Straits service trade agreement, the mainland will allow Taiwan's financial institutions to invest in the mainland's capital market as Renminbi Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors, said Fan Liqing, of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, at a press conference.

The move will open a channel for RMB in Taiwan to flow back into the mainland, Fan added.

She also spoke highly of the Zijinshan Summit for Entrepreneurs across the Taiwan Strait held in Nanjing on November 4 and 5, saying the platform will play a good role in deepening economic cooperation between the two sides.