BEIJING -- A mainland spokesman said on Wednesday that after peaceful reunification, people in Taiwan can enjoy improved social welfare, as the region will no longer need to use fiscal revenues for defense expenditures and can instead direct them toward improving livelihoods.

Chen Binhua, a spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made the remarks at a press conference.

He said the mainland will promote the sharing of public services and resources across the Taiwan Strait, so that people in Taiwan will have more sufficient and diverse supplies of essential goods and lower production and daily living costs.

The mainland will launch measures to promote urban renewal and the renovation of old buildings in Taiwan, the spokesman said.

It will also help the region enhance its capacity for early disaster warning and response, and provide immediate assistance during major natural disasters, Chen said.

"The security and development interests of the Taiwan region will be fully safeguarded," he added.