SHANGHAI -- Taiwan's leading trade promotion agency opened its first office in the Chinese mainland in Shanghai on Tuesday.

The Taipei World Trade Center, which opened the Taiwan Trade Center Shanghai Representative Office, is expected to open another office in Beijing by the end of this year, said its president Wang Chih-Kang.

The Taipei World Trade Center also plans to open representative offices in Qingdao, Dalian, Guangzhou and Chengdu in 2013, Wang added.

The Shanghai office will serve Shanghai, Zhejiang Province and Kunshan City in Jiangsu Province, home to many Taiwanese businessmen.

The office will not only serve Taiwanese businessmen but also mainland companies.

It will help Taiwanese businessmen better tap the Chinese mainland market, invite mainland businessmen to visit and invest in Taiwan, and boost collaboration between the service industries on both sides, said Chiu Hui-li, the top representative of the Shanghai office.