HARBIN -- A senior Chinese official on Saturday proposed that the mainland and Taiwan should deepen economic cooperation and cultural exchanges in order to maintain the peaceful development of the cross-Strait relationship.

Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), made the remarks at the opening ceremony for the 8th Cross-Straits Economic, Trade and Culture Forum that kicked off in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang province.

Jia said the cross-Strait relationship should develop on the basis of political mutual trust, which seeks common ground while shelving differences.

Jia, also a member of the Standing Committee of the political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said the past four years have marked a milestone in the progress of the cross-Strait relationship, as the cross-Strait situation was the most peaceful during this period.

At the beginning of this year, when facing an important choice concerning the future development of cross-Strait relations, Taiwanese compatriots explicitly expressed their desires to maintain a stable cross-Strait relationship, continue negotiations and expand exchanges, Jia said.

The Taiwanese compatriots' choice to support the peaceful development of the cross-Strait relationship proves that peaceful development is an appropriate track that should be followed, he said.

A visiting delegation headed by Wu Poh-Hsiung, honorary chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT) Party, attended the opening ceremony of the forum.