But political ties between the two sides have been stalled, although President Hu Jintao has repeatedly called for the start of political talks to end hostility and urged for the establishment of a military trust mechanism across the Straits.

When it comes to military dialogue, military officials and experts said the discussion should be conducted gradually.

"The discussion on military deployment can be done step by step on the basis of military mutual trust and starting from easy topics," Geng Yansheng, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, said at a news briefing in September.

Wang Hailiang, a researcher with the Taiwan Studies Center at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said easier topics should be addressed before sensitive issues.

"Military talks on the non-governmental level between retired generals and researchers in military research institutions can be held first to test the water and lay a foundation," Wang told China Daily on Wednesday.

Previously, more than 40 retired generals across the Straits have held an annual golf tournament in May in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu province.

"The communication among retired generals across the Straits should be considered an icebreaking move to help establish a military mutual trust mechanism," former Taiwan senior military officer Chen Hsing-kuo said in an article published in the Taipei-based United Daily News.

On Sept 16, maritime authorities from the mainland and Taiwan launched their first joint maritime rescue drill off the Taiwan island of Kinmen and the mainland port of Xiamen in Fujian province. The historic paramilitary exercise is believed to be a new move to help build up mutual political trust across the Straits.