BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Taiwanese residents are now eligible to work in public institutions in six more provincial regions, An Fengshan, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council announced Wednesday.

As of today, Taiwanese residents can be employed in public institutions such as hospitals and universities in Beijing and the provinces of Hainan, Hebei, Guangdong and Shandong as well as Guangxi autonomous region.

Prior to the announcement, Taiwanese residents could only work for public institutions in Shanghai, Tianjin, and the provinces of Fujian, Hubei, Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

The Chinese mainland will increase cooperation and communication across the Taiwan Strait with ongoing preferential policies, An said.

By the end of 2016, over 6,000 Taiwanese youth had interned, worked or started businesses in nearly 1,200 Taiwan-invested enterprises on the mainland, the spokesperson said.

In order to help Taiwanese graduates from mainland higher education institutions find jobs, the Ministry of Education told institutions to standardize enrollment regulations and protect the legal rights of Taiwanese students.

Taiwanese academics working on the mainland can apply for state-level research projects, including projects from the National Natural Science Fund, An said.

Taiwan-based law firms are now allowed to set up representative offices in Shanghai, and the provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, according to the Ministry of Justice.

After three years of operation, these offices may operate in conjunction with local law firms within the provincial regions where they were established.

Taiwanese residents can also purchase and collect tickets via self-service ticket machines in train stations in Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai municipalities, and in Guangdong, Hunan and Fujian provinces, among others, according to China Railway Corporation.