BEIJING -- A spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office on Wednesday said the mainland was saddened by the damage of cultural relics in the Palace Museum in Taipei.

The Palace Museum in Beijing and the Palace Museum in Taipei share the same roots, and the cultural relics collected are the treasures of the Chinese nation, said Ma Xiaoguang, the spokesperson. "It is the basic responsibility of relevant parties in Taiwan to ensure the safety of cultural relics."

"We are committed to promoting cross-Strait cultural exchanges and cooperation and deepening cross-Straits integrated development," Ma said.

The palace museums on both sides of the Straits have a solid foundation for cooperation, said Ma, pledging further in-depth exchanges to jointly safeguard the precious cultural relics of the Chinese nation.