HANGZHOU -- Over 1,000 guests and youth representatives from across the Taiwan Strait have gathered to promote closer bonds and integrated development at a forum that opened on Monday in the city of Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province.

Addressing the opening event of the seventh cross-Strait youth development forum, senior mainland Taiwan affairs official Song Tao pledged continuous efforts to create better conditions and more opportunities for the growth and success of youths from both sides of the Strait.

Song, who is head of both the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, called on youths to firmly oppose "Taiwan independence" separatist activities and external interference and promote cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation in all fields.

Former chairperson of the Chinese Kuomintang party Hung Hsiu-chu said at the opening ceremony that national reunification is a shared aspiration of all the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation and also an unstoppable trend of history.

Hung expressed the hope that youths from across the Strait could enhance mutual trust and friendship through exchanges and contribute to cross-Strait peace, national reunification and rejuvenation.

The opening event featured keynote speeches and discussions involving guests and youth representatives, as well as cultural performances.

The forum, which runs through Friday, also enables participants to gain a better understanding of the cultural, economic and social development of the country by hosting a series of workshops on different themes including intangible cultural heritage, e-commerce live broadcast, and sci-tech innovation.