Zhang Zhijun, the Chinese mainland's chief of Taiwan affairs, has postponed a visit to Kinmen, said Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office.

Zhang was scheduled to lead a delegation to Kinmen for two days from Saturday, during which he was to meet Wang Yu-chi, director of Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council.

"The decision was made after talks between the two sides. The TransAsia Airways plane crash caused huge casualties across the Taiwan Straits and both the Chinese mainland and Taiwan need to concentrate on the aftermath," Ma said.

"We hope Taiwan will spare no efforts in searching for the missing".