BEIJING -- A group of 37 teachers and students from five mainland universities plan to visit Taiwan from July 15 to 23 at the invitation of the Taiwan-based Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, according to a mainland spokesperson.

Led by Hao Ping, Party chief of Peking University, the group includes members from Peking University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, Wuhan University, and Hunan University, said Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, late Tuesday in response to a media query.

During their trip, the mainland teachers and students will engage in exchanges with their peers from Taiwan University, Chengchi University, Chinese Culture University, and Dong Hwa University.

The trip will also include stops in Taipei, Taichung, New Taipei, Hsinchu, and Hualien.

"This trip, made by the first group of its kind to travel to the island in more than three years, is conducive to promoting the resumption of cross-Strait exchanges," Chen said.

He expressed the hope that all the mainland group's exchanges and visits in Taiwan will go smoothly.

"We support and encourage young people on both sides of the Strait to enhance exchanges and mutual understanding, learn from each other through exchanges and interactions, and jointly create a bright future," Chen said.

From late March to early April this year, Ma Ying-jeou led a group of Taiwan students who visited several cities on the mainland. He repeatedly expressed the hope that teachers and students from mainland universities could go to Taiwan for exchanges during discussions at Fudan University, Wuhan University, and Hunan University.